Aluterus schoepfii
Orange Filefish
NS
G5
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Tetraodontiformes (Pufferfishes and Allies)
Monacanthidae (Filefishes)
Aluterus
Aluterus schoepfii (Orange Filefish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Elliptical in profile, no pelvic spine, slender caudal peduncle. Dorsal profile of head slightly concave to straight. Jaw teeth acutely pointed; upper jaw teeth in two rows (3 outer, 2 inner), lower jaw teeth in single row of 3. Head slightly convex below chin. Gill rakers on first arch 21-27. Gill slit oblique, in front of and partially above pectoral fin base, about twice pectoral fin base length. Measurements (% SL): head length 23%-34%, snout length 12%-28%, eye diameter 5%-9%, body depth at anal fin origin 17%-47%. Pectoral fin rays 11-12, second dorsal fin rays 32-40, pelvic spine absent, anal fin rays 35-41. Caudal peduncle slightly longer to slightly shorter than deep, lacks enlarged scales.
Pale gray to brown with numerous small, round orange spots on body.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Nova Scotia and Bermuda to Brazil, including the entire Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles.
Habitat Associations
Shallow water, associated with sea grass on sand to mud bottoms.
Sea grass on sand to mud bottoms
Biology
Algae and sea grasses
Maximum known size 600 mm TL
Usually found over bottoms with seagrass, sand, or mud (Ref. 3790). Juveniles are associated with floating Sargassum. Solitary or in pairs (Ref. 9710). Feeds on a variety of plants, including algae and seagrasses (Ref. 3790). Generally considered as trash fish, rarely consumed (Ref. 3790). Traded as an aquarium fish at Ceará, Brazil (Ref. 49392).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external. Distinct pairing (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2014-02-27. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; aquarium: commercial.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Berry and Vogele 1961
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Matsuura 1983u
Matsuura 2002c
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Vega-Cendejas et al. 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Harmelin-Vivien, M.L. and J.-C. Quéro (1990) Monacanthidae. p. 1061-1066. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
Tyler, J.C. (1978) Monacanthidae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Central Atlantic (Fishing Area 31). Vol. 3. [pag. var.]. FAO, Rome.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Venier, J. (1996) Balancing the Strait of Georgia model. p. 74-80. In D. Pauly and V. Christensen (eds.) Mass-balance models of North-eastern Pacific ecosystems. Fisheries Centre Research Reports 1996 4(1):131 p.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
Uyeno, T., K. Matsuura and E. Fujii (eds.) (1983) Fishes trawled off Suriname and French Guiana. Japan Marine Fishery Resource Research Center, Tokyo, Japan. 519 p.
Claro, R. (1994) Características generales de la ictiofauna. p. 55-70. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo.
Figueiredo, J.L. and N.A. Menezes (2000) Manual de peixes marinhos do sudeste do Brasil. VI.Teleostei (5). Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo. Brazil. 116 p.
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