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Brachaluteres ulvarum

(Japanese Inflator Filefish)

Overview

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Family : Filefishes ; Inhabits bottoms with green seaweed. Feeds on algae and crabs[1]. Capable of inflating its body like puffers [2].

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in English:

Japanese Inflator Filefish, Puffer Filefish

Common Names in Japanese:

Aosahagi

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

綠短革魨

Description

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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

Habitat

Biome: Saltwater . Reef-associated .

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Group expert : Hutchins B .

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Brachaluteres

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 6 species and subspecies in this genus:

B. baueri · B. jacksonianus (Pigmy Leatherjacket) · B. taylori (Taylor´s Inflator Filefish) · B. trossulus · B. ulvarum (Japanese Inflator Filefish) · B. wolfei

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 01, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Masuda, H. and G.R. Allen (1993). Meeresfische der Welt - Groß-Indopazifische Region. Tetra Verlag, Herrenteich, Melle. 528 p. [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]

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

Last Revised: 7/2/2009