Chinese trumpetfish
Aulostomus chinensis
Trumpetfish
trumpetfish_g364
About
Trumpetfish are long, thin reef fish with a tube-shaped snout. In this app the group includes the Chinese trumpetfish, the eastern Atlantic trumpetfish, and the western Atlantic trumpetfish.
How to tell it apart
The mark that settles it is the long, tube-shaped snout on an otherwise rigid, stick-like body, often seen hanging motionless in the water. Species are told apart mainly by colour and where they are found.
Appearance
Trumpetfish have a stiff, elongated, pike-shaped body that can reach almost a metre long. Their snout is long and tube-like, ending in a small jaw that can snap open into a wide, round hole. The dorsal and anal fins sit close to the tail.
Habitat
Trumpetfish live on tropical reefs worldwide, with two species in the Atlantic and one in the Indo-Pacific. They usually stay near the bottom, and one species prefers rocky ground.
Behaviour
Trumpetfish hunt by hovering almost still just above the bottom and slowly closing in on prey. When close enough, they dart forward and snap their jaws open, sucking the prey into their mouth.
Diet
Trumpetfish are carnivores that feed almost only on small schooling reef fish.
Did you know?
A trumpetfish catches prey by suddenly opening its tube-shaped mouth into a wide, round hole, creating a strong suction that pulls small fish straight in.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
