Oxymonacanthus longirostris
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Tetraodontiformes (Pufferfishes and Allies)
Monacanthidae (Filefishes)
Oxymonacanthus
Oxymonacanthus longirostris
Description
This species account was compiled from
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Characters
Body shape: short and / or deep. Ventral rudiment absent; bristles on caudal peduncle of males longer than others on body (Ref. 37816).
Description: Characterized by green body color with 6-7 rows of orange spots; posterior caudal fin with black spot or bar; male with white-spotted black patch on pelvic flap; female with black coloration on flap, but lacks white spots; first dorsal spine shorter than snout, origin above posterior half of eye, folding into groove along back; long, tapering and tubular snout; rudiment, small and immovable pelvic fin; short and slightly rounded caudal fin; depth of body at origin of anal fin 3.1-3.3 in SL (Ref. 90102).
Distribution
Indo-Pacific: East Africa south to Maputo, Mozambique (Ref. 4421) and east to Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to the southern Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, and Tonga. Replaced by Oxymonacanthus halli in the Red Sea.
Habitat Associations
Marine. reef-associated. depth range 1-35 m. Found in: coral reefs.
Biology
Occurs in clear lagoon and seaward reefs from 0.5 to at least 30 m. Found in pairs or small groups and nests near bases of dead corals, often on clumps of algae. Monogamous (Ref. 52884, 48637). Feeds exclusively on Acropora polyps. Feeding takes place throughout the day becoming less towards the evening (Ref. 46144).
Max length: 12.0 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy; guarders (nesters); parental care: paternal. Aggression is used commonly in courtship. Spawning commences when after swimming together in different tufts, the female concentrates on just one and begins to thrust repeatedly and pause. The male follows suit nuzzling the female. The female then drops into the algae and spawns, while the male releases the sperm beside her. The pair then swims back to their territory (Ref. 46144). Monogamous mating is observed as both facultative and social (Ref. 52884).
IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable (VU), assessed 2015-07-05. Resilience: Medium (Fec = 200).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial.
References
Myers, R.F. (1991) Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
Sano, M., M. Shimizu and Y. Nose (1984) Food habits of teleostean reef fishes in Okinawa Island, southern Japan. University of Tokyo Bulletin, no. 25. v,128p. University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, Japan. 128 p.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Barlow, G.W. (1987) Spawning, eggs and larvae of the longnose filefish Oxymonacanthus longirostris, a monogamous coralivore. Environ. Biol. Fishes 20(3):183-194.
Whiteman, E.A. and I.M. Côté (2004) Monogamy in marine fishes. Biol. Rev. 79:351-375.
Allen, G.R. and M.V. Erdmann (2012) Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth, Australia: Universitiy of Hawai'i Press, Volumes I-III. Tropical Reef Research.
Comments On Oxymonacanthus longirostris