Aluterus scriptus

• Overview
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Caught at the surface using a hand net [1].

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Family Monacanthidae

Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Usually two dorsal spines; the second is usually much smaller and it may be absent. Upper jaw usually with three teeth in outer and two in the inner series on each premaxillary , developed for nibbling; 19-31 vertebrae . Alutera scripta reaches 1 m maximum length . Most species feed on a wide variety of benthic invertebrates , but some specialize on corals or zooplankton . Filefishes lay demersal eggs in a site prepared and guarded by the male or both parents. Some of the subtropical species release eggs in open water .The family Monacanthidae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes ) and the Order Tetraodontiformes. It contains 31 genera and 95 species. It may be found in Marine environments and is primarily Marine. Some members of this family are used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are mixed. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is balistiform. Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be normal. Members of this family have been dated back to the Pliocene epoch of the Tertiary period. Etymology of this family name : Greek, monos = only + Greek, akantha = thorn

Physical Description

Habitat

Inhabits lagoon and seaward reefs[2]. Occasionally are seen under floating objects[3]. May be found at depths of 3 to 120 meters. Usually found at depths of 3 to 20 meters.

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -5,464 meters (0 to -17,927 feet).[4]

Biome: Saltwater . Reef-associated .

Biology

Diet

Feeds on algae, seagrass, hydrozoans , gorgonians , colonial anemones, and tunicates .

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Aleuteus scriptus (Osbeck, 1765)
2. Alutera armata Garman, 1903
3. Alutera picturata Poey, 1863
4. Alutera scripta (Osbeck, 1765)
5. Aluteres pareva Lesson, 1831
6. Aluteres personatus Lesson, 1831
7. Aluteres scripta (Osbeck, 1765)
8. Aluterus renosus Hollard, 1855
9. Aluterus scripta (Osbeck, 1765)
10. Aluterus venosus Hollard, 1855
11. Balistes laevis Bloch, 1795
12. Balistes liturosus Shaw, 1804
13. Balistes ornatus Proce, 1822
14. Balistes scripta Osbeck, 1765
15. Balistes scriptus Osbeck, 1765
16. Monacanthus scriptus (Osbeck, 1765)
17. Osbeckia scripta (Osbeck, 1765)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Family : Filefishes .

Similar Species

Members of the genus Aluterus

There are approximately 19 species in this genus:

A. anginosus · A. convexifrons · A. cultrifrons · A. heudeloti (Dotterel Filefish) · A. heudelotii (Dotted-Line Blenny) · A. heudelotti · A. holbroocki · A. maculosus · A. monoceros (Unicorn Leatherjacket Filefish) · A. monocerus · A. paragaudatus · A. punctata · A. rhinoceros · A. schoepfi · A. schoepfii (Orange Filefish) · A. scriptus (Scribbled Leatherjacket Filefi) · A. sp · A. velutinus · A. venosus

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
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• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• Abu Khair Mohammad Mohsin, Mohd. Azmi Ambak and Muhamad Nasir Abdul Salam (1993). Malay, English, and scientific names of the fishes of Malaysia. Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia, O
• Afonso, P., F.M. Porteiro, R.S. Santos, J.P. Barreiros, J. Worms and P. Wirtz (1999). Coastal marine fishes of São ToméIsland (Gulf of Guinea). Arquipélago. Life and Marine Sciences 17A:65-92.
• Allen, G.R. and R.C. Steene (1988). Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island Natural History Association, Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, 6798, Australia. 197 p.
• Allen, G.R. and W.F. Smith-Vaniz (1994). Fishes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Res. Bull. 412:21 p.
• Böhlke, J.E. and C.C.G. Chaplin (1993). Fishes of the Bahamas and adjacent tropical waters. 2nd edition. University of Texas Press, Austin.
• Bearez, P. (1996). Lista de los peces marinos del Ecuador continental. Rev. Biol. Trop. 44(2):731-741.
• Bouhlel, M. (1988). Poissons de Djibouti. Placerville (California, USA): RDA International, Inc. 416 p.
• Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). London: BM(NH) url p. 167, p. 59.
• Bussing, W.A. and R.J. Lavenberg (1995). Monacanthidae. Cachúas, lijas. p. 1278-1280. In W. Fischer, F. Krupp, W. Schneider, C. Sommer, K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) Guia FAO para Identification de Especies para lo Fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Cent
• Butsch, R.S. (1939). A list of Barbadian fishes. J. B.M.H.S. 7(1):17-31.
• Caldwell, K.D. (1966). Marine and freshwater fishes of Jamaica. Bull. Inst. Jamaica (17):7-109.
• 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.
• Claro, Rodolfo, and Lynne R. Parenti / Claro, Rodolfo, Kenyon C. Lindeman, and L. R. Parenti, eds. 2001. Chapter 2: The Marine Ichthyofauna of Cuba. Ecology of the Marine Fishes of Cuba. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington, DC, USA. 21-57. ISBN: 1-56098-985-8.
• Cornic, A. (1987). Poissons de l'Ile Maurice. Editions de l'Océan Indien, Stanley Rose Hill, Ile Maurice. 335 p.
• Dalzell, P., S.R. Lindsay and H. Patiale. (1991). Fisheries resources survey of the Island of Niue. Tech. Doc. Inshore Fish. Res. Proj. S. Pac. Comm 3. A report prepared in conjunction with the South Pacific Commission Inshore Fisheries Research Proje
• Edwards, A. (1990). Fish and fisheries of Saint Helena Island. Centre for Tropical Coastal Management Studies, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
• Eschmeyer, William N., ed. 1998. Catalog of Fishes. Special Publication of the Center for Biodiversity Research and Information, no. 1, vol 1-3. California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco, California, USA. 2905. ISBN: 0-940228-47-5.
• Fischer, W., I. Sousa, C. Silva, A. de Freitas, J.M. Poutiers, W. Schneider, T.C. Borges, J.P. Feral and A. Massinga (1990). Fichas FAO de identificaçao de espécies para actividades de pesca. Guia de campo das espécies comerciais marinhas e de águas salob
• Fishery bulletin / U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service. Washington, D.C.: The Service: ENG url p. 391, p. 435, p. 438.
• Fishes of the Gulf of Maine, by Henry B. Bigelow and William C. Schroeder. Washington, United States Government Printing Office, 1953. ENG url p. 2.
• Gasparini, J.L. and S.R. Floeter (2001). The shore fishes of Trindade Island, western South Atlantic. J. Nat. Hist. 35:1639-1656.
• Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. and P.J. Kailola (1984). Trawled fishes of southern Indonesia and northwestern Australia. Australian Development Assistance Bureau, Australia, Directorate General of Fishes, Indonesia, and German Agency for Technical Cooperation, Fe
• Halstead, B.W., P.S. Auerbach and D.R. Campbell (1990). A colour atlas of dangerous marine animals. Wolfe Medical Publications Ltd, W.S. Cowell Ltd, Ipswich, England. 192 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,
• Herre, A.W.C.T. (1935). Philippine fish tales. D.P. Perez Company, Manila, Philippines. 302 p.
• Humann, P. (1994). Reef fish identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. New World Publications, Jacksonville, Florida. 426 p.
• Humann, P. and N. Deloach (1993). Reef fish identification. Galápagos. New World Publications, Inc., Florida. 267 p.
• Hutchins, J.B. (1986). Monacanthidae. p. 882-887. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
• International Game Fish Association (1991). World record game fishes. International Game Fish Association, Florida, USA.
• Jonklaas, R. (1975). Collecting marine tropicals. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, USA. 224 p.
• Kailola, P.J. (1991). The fishes of Papua New Guinea: a revised and annotated checklist. Vol. III. Gobiidae to Molidae. Research Bulletin No. 41, Research Section, Dept. of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Papua New Guinea. 153 p.
• Kapoor, D., R. Dayal and A.G. Ponniah (2002). Fish biodiversity of India. National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources Lucknow, India.775 p.
• Klein-MacPhee, Grace / Collette, Bruce B., and Grace Klein-MacPhee, eds. 2002. Filefishes: Family Monacanthidae. Bigelow and Schroeder's Fishes of the Gulf of Maine, Third Edition. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington, DC, USA. 592-598. ISBN: 1-56098-951-3.
• Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994). Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific and Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
• Lubbock, R. and A. Edwards. (1981). The fishes of Saint Paul's Rocks. J. Fish Biol. 18:135-157.
• McCormack, G. (2000). Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage database. Sent by Gerald McCormack as RTF document in May 2000 for use in FishBase.
• Miyasaka, A. (1993). A database on scientific and common names of fishes exported from Hawaii. The information was derived from the above mentioned database. A printout of the names is also available from the State of Hawaii, Department of Land and Natural Resources, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, Hawaii.
• Morgan, R.C. (1999). Fish names in languages of Tonga and Fiji. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 462:1-8.
• Murdy, Edward O., Ray S. Birdsong, and John A. Musick 1997. Fishes of Chesapeake Bay. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington, DC, USA. xi + 324. ISBN: 1-56098-638-7.
• Myers, R.F. (1991). Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
• Myers, R.F. (1999). Micronesian reef fishes: a comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia, 3rd revised and expanded edition. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 330 p.
• NOAA technical report NMFS SSRF. Seattle, Wash.: National Marine Fisheries Service; ENG url p. 32.
• Ni, I-H and K-Y Kwok (1999). Marine fish fauna in Hong Kong waters. Zool. Stud. 38(2):130-152.
• Ogden, J.C., J.A. Yntema, and I. Clavijo (1975). An annotated list of the fishes of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Spec. Publ. No. 3.
• Oxygen depletion and associated benthic mortalities in New York Bight, 1976 / editors, R. Lawrence Swanson, Carl J. Sindermann. Rockville, Md.: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; 1979. ENG url p. 300.
• Randall, J.E. (1995). Coastal fishes of Oman. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 439 p.
• Randall, J.E. and C. Anderson (1993). Annotated checklist of the epipelagic and shore fishes of the Maldives Islands. Ichthyol. Bull. of the J.L.B. Smith Inst. of Ichthyol. 59:47.
• Randall, J.E., H. Ida, K. Kato, R.L. Pyle and J.L. Earle (1997). Annotated checklist of inshore fishes of the Ogasawara Islands. Nat. Sci. Mus. Monogr. (11):1-74.
• 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.
• Robins, Richard C., Reeve M. Bailey, Carl E. Bond, James R. Brooker, Ernest A. Lachner, et al. 1980. A List of Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States and Canada, Fourth Edition. American Fisheries Society Special Publication, no. 12. American Fisheries Society. Bethesda, Maryland, USA. 174.
• Sadovy, Y. (1992). A preliminary assessment of the marine aquarium export trade in Puerto Rico. Proceedings of the Seventh International Coral Reef Symposium, Guam, Vol. 2, p. 1014-1021.
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• Shiino, Sueo M. 1976. List of Common Names of Fishes of the World, Those Prevailing among English-speaking Nations. Science Report of Shima Marineland, no. 4. Shima Marineland. Kashikojima, Shima, Mie, Japan. 262.
• Smith, A. and P. Dalzell (1993). Fisheries resources and management investigations in Woleai Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia. Inshore Fish. Res. Proj., Tech. Doc., South Pacific Commission. Noumea, New Caledonia. 64 p.
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• Willoughby, S., J.D. Neilson and C. Taylor (1999). The depth distribution of exploited reef fish populations off the south and west coasts of Barbados. Proc. Gulf Caribb. Fish Inst. 45:57-68.
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Notes

Contributors

• American Fisheries Society. Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United states, Canada, and Mexico Sixth Edition. Special Publication 29.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed April 20, 2007.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 24, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 3 providers.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:

• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
• Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Museum of Nature Fish Collection
• FishBase, FishBase DiGIR Provider - Philippine Server
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, AIMS - Baited Remote Underwater Video Station
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, Bishop Museum Data
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History - Marine Birds, Mammals, and Fishes
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, REVIZEE South Score / Pelagic and Demersal Fish Database II
• Museum national d'histoire naturelle, Ichtyologie
• Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, MCZ Fish Collection
• National Chemical Laboratory, IndOBIS, Indian Ocean Node of OBIS
• Royal Ontario Museum, Fish specimens
• Senckenberg, Collection Pisces
• UNIBIO, IBUNAM, CNPE/Coleccion Nacional de Peces

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2486682
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Fis-24410
• Fishbase Species ID: 4275
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13838783
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 173134
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 101674

Footnotes

1. Norman, J.R. (1939). Fishes. p. 1-116. In John Murray Expedition Scientific Reports. Vol. 7. British Museum of Natural History, London. [back]
2. Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994). Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p. [back]
3. Myers, R.F. (1991). Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p. [back]
4. Mean = -715.630 meters (-2,347.867 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,183.270 based on 401 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

Curator for this page: Barry Hutchins. Date last reviewed: 1899-12-30

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