''Prognathodes aculeatus'', the longsnout butterflyfish, is a species of butterflyfish found in tropical West Atlantic waters. It is also known as the butterbun, the Caribbean longsnout butterflyfish or Poey's butterflyfish. This species should not be confused with the banded longsnout butterflyfish (''Chelmon rostratus'').

Scientific name

The longsnout butterflyfish was first described in 1860 by

Felipe Poey y Aloy Felipe Poey (May 26, 1799 – January 28, 1891) was a Cuban zoologist. Biography Poey was born in Havana, the son of French and Spanish parents. He spent several years (1804 to 1807) of his life in Pau then studied law in Madrid. He became a ...

and Albert C. L. G. Günther in two separate reports.Günther, A. 1860 (13 Oct.) Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum. Catalogue of the acanthopterygian fishes in the collection of the British Museum. Squamipinnes, Cirrhitidae, Triglidae, Trachinidae, Sciaenidae, Polynemidae, Sphyraenidae, Trichiuridae, Scombridae, Carangidae, Xiphiidae. British Mus., London. v. 2: i-xxi + 1-548 Between them the fish was given three separate

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

s each one in a different genus, though Poey's assignment of the species to ''Prognathodes'' is the only valid combination.Poey, F. 1858-61 Memorias sobra la historia natural de la Isla de Cuba, acompañadas de sumarios Latinos y extractos en Francés. Tomo 2. La Habana. ections have subtitles. v. 2: 1-96 (1858), 97–336 (1860), 337-442, (1861), Pls. 1-19. It was again described in 1880 by

Sauvage Sauvage, French for "savage" may refer to: ; as a surname: * Catherine Sauvage (1929–1998), a French singer and actress * Cyrille Sauvage (born 1973), a French racing driver * Frédéric Sauvage (1786–1857), a French boat builder who carried ...

who gave it yet another scientific name that has since been synonymized into ''P. aculeatus''.Sauvage, H.-E. 1880Description de quelques poissons de la collection du Muséum d'histoire naturelle. Bulletin de la Société philomathique de Paris (7th Série) v. 4: 220-228.

Description

An average of long, the longsnout butterflyfish is commonly known for its namesake long

snout A snout is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw. In many animals, the structure is called a muzzle, rostrum, or proboscis. The wet furless surface around the nostrils of the nose of many mammals is c ...

that is much more distinctive than those of similar species.Humann, Paul and Ned Deloach, Reef Fish Identification Florida Caribbean Bahamas New World Publications Inc., Jacksonville, Fl; pp. 32–33 They also have a dusky to yellow colored stripe that runs almost vertically from the top of the

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

to the

eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...

s (unlike the stripes on other butterflyfishes which extend past the eyes). The upper half of the longsnout butterflyfish is yellow that changes to orange and again darkens to brownish-orange. The dorsal fin of the fish is usually black.

Habitat and range

Fairly common throughout its range, the longsnout butterflyfish is found on natural and artificial reefs, usually in depth.Allen, G.R., R. Steene and M. Allen, 1998. A guide to angelfishes and butterflyfishes. Odyssey Publishing/Tropical Reef Research. 250 p. It can be found off Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, in the Caribbean Sea, and off the coast of Venezuela.

Behavior

Longsnout butterflyfish are much more solitary than many other members of their family. They also inhabit deeper reefs and spend much of their time foraging in recesses for invertebrates. It is also known to eat the tube feet of

sea urchin Sea urchins () are spiny, globular echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species of sea urchin live on the seabed of every ocean and inhabit every depth zone from the intertidal seashore down to . The spherical, hard shells (tests) of ...

s and tube worm tentacles.Lieske, E. and R. Myers, 1994. Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Harper Collins Publishers, 400 p. Unlike many other members of its family, the longsnout butterflyfish does not pick parasites from other fish.Böhlke, J.E. and C.C.G. Chaplin, 1993. Fishes of the Bahamas and adjacent tropical waters. 2nd edition. University of Texas Press, Austin.

References

External links

* Photos of
Prognathodes aculeatus
' in iNaturalist {{Taxonbar, from=Q2571486 aculeatus Fish of the Caribbean Fish described in 1860 Taxa named by Felipe Poey