WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Red Sea Longnose Filefish

Oxymonacanthus halli

Also known as: Beaked Leatherjacket, Beaked Leatherjacket Filefish, Coral Filefish, Harlequin Filefish, Leatherjacket, Long-nosed Filefish, Orangespot Filefish, Orange-spotted Filefish

VUVulnerableIUCN Red List, 2019
Adult
@gpasch · Ghada reef, off Jeddah, Saudi Arabia · September 20121 / 2
01

Overview

Found in pairs or small schools, in the arms of branching corals, over shallow, coral and rocky fringing reefs, rich in Acropora corals.
They feed exclusively on Acropora polyps.
Western Indian Ocean - Red Sea

Filefish can alter their colour and pattern to match their surrounds and so deter predators.
Although closely related to the Triggerfish, their "trigger spine" cannot be locked into place.

02

How to identify

COLOURS

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03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Western Indian Ocean
  • Country only · 2
LIVES IN

Found in pairs or small schools, in the arms of branching corals, over shallow, coral and rocky fringing reefs, rich in Acropora corals.

04

Adult photos 2

05

Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumChordata
    3. classTeleostei
    4. orderTetraodontiformes
    5. familyMonacanthidae
    6. genusOxymonacanthus
    7. speciesOxymonacanthus halli Marshall, 1952

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Filefishes (Monacanthidae)