The red cornetfish (''Fistularia petimba''), also known as the rough flutemouth, is a
cornetfish
The cornetfishes or flutemouths are a small family, the Fistulariidae, of extremely elongated fishes in the order Syngnathiformes. The family consists of a single genus, ''Fistularia'', with four species, found worldwide in tropical and subtropic ...
of the
family Fistulariidae
The cornetfishes or flutemouths are a small family, the Fistulariidae, of extremely elongated fishes in the order Syngnathiformes. The family consists of a single genus, ''Fistularia'', with four species, found worldwide in tropical and subtropic ...
, found in subtropical and tropical oceans worldwide, at depths between and . They are up to in length but rarely exceed .
[
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Range
''Fistularia petimba'' is widespread in warmer parts of the Atlantic Ocean and Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth.
In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
, including the waters of Australia and Hawaii.[ It has also been recorded on rare occasions in the Mediterranean Sea.][Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea (''Fistularia petimba''). 2nd Edition. 2021. 366p. CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco.https://ciesm.org/atlas/fishes_2nd_edition/Fistularia_petimba.pdf] The species mostly lives in subtropical
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...
regions. In tropical areas, it tends to occur deeper or in places with cold upwellings.[
]
Biology
It occurs between depth, but most often at depths of over soft substrates.[ It is an ]oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...
species which lays large pelagic eggs which hatch into larvae of ,[ the juveniles move into estuarine habitats.][ This species is a ]crepuscular
In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal, vespertine, or both. This is distinguished from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, where an animal is active during the hours of daylig ...
,[ stealthy predator which stalks its prey by moving slowly towards shoals of small fish, using its slender form to hide, and when it is close enough to its prey it darts forward and sucks it into its mouth.]Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, 2023
References
* Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, ''Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand'', (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982)
Fistulariidae
Taxa named by Bernard Germain de Lacépède
Fish described in 1803
{{Syngnathiformes-stub