Family FISTULARIIDAE

Fistulariidae

© Copyright Ros Poole.

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Introduction

Members of the Fistulariidae are known worldwide from shallow tropical and subtropical waters. They were reviewed by Fritzsche (1976), who recognised four species in one genus. Two species are recorded from Australian waters; both are treated in Fritzsche & Thiesfeld (1999) and Kuiter (2000, 2009). Leis & Rennis (2000) described the larvae.

Flutemouths or cornetfishes are extremely long and slender with a flattened body, single short-based dorsal and anal fins situated posteriorly on the body, and a forked caudal fin with the middle two rays extremely long, forming a trailing caudal filament. They have a small mouth at the end of a long, tubular snout and feed on small fishes and invertebrates. Maximum size is 2 m.

General References

Fritzsche, R.A. 1976. A review of the cornetfishes genus Fistularia (Fistulariidae), with a discussion of intrageneric relationships and zoogeography. Bulletin of Marine Science 26(2): 196-204 figs 1-4

Fritzsche, R.A. & Thiesfeld, K.G. 1999. Families Aulostomidae, Fistulariidae, Macrorhamphosidae, Centriscidae. pp. 2277-2282 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790.

Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Seahorses, Pipefishes and Their Relatives. Chorleywood, UK : TMC Publishing 240 pp.

Kuiter, R.H. 2009. Seahorses and their relatives. Seaford, Australia : Aquatic Photographics pp. 331.

Leis, J.M. & Rennis, D.S. 2000. Fistulariidae (Cornetfishes, Flutemouths). pp. 207-209 in Leis, J.M. & Carson-Ewart, B.M. The larvae of Indo-Pacific coastal fishes. An identification guide to marine fish larvae. Fauna Malesiana Handbooks Leiden : Brill Vol. 2 870 pp. [207]

Common Name References

Fritzsche, R.A. & Thiesfeld, K.G. 1999. Families Aulostomidae, Fistulariidae, Macrorhamphosidae, Centriscidae. pp. 2277-2282 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790. [2278] (FAO) (Cornetfishes, Flute Mouths)

Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. [434] (Coronetfishes)

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1984. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls. [88] (Flutemouths)

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