Bluespotted cornetfish
Fistularia commersonii from Maldives
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Syngnathiformes
Family: Fistulariidae
Genus: Fistularia
Species:
F. commersonii
Binomial name
Fistularia commersonii
Rüppell, 1838 [2]
Synonyms[3]

Fistularia depressa Günther, 1880

The bluespotted cornetfish (Fistularia commersonii), also known as smooth cornetfish or smooth flutemouth, is a marine fish which belongs to the family Fistulariidae. This very long and slender reef-dweller belongs to the same order as the pipefishes and seahorses, called Syngnathiformes.[4]

Distribution

It is widespread in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific as far north as Japan and east to the west coasts of the Americas,[1] including Panama[5] and Mexico's Sea of Cortez[6] and the Red Sea.[3] In 2000, its presence was reported in the Mediterranean Sea off Israel. In the past twenty years, this species experienced a population explosion in the Levantine Sea and a rapid spread westward, reaching the westernmost sectors of the Mediterranean[7] and as far north as the Gulf of Lions by 2007.[8][9] At this point, it has been recorded in all Mediterranean sub-basins and is now very common in the eastern part.[10] F. commersonii is now considered an invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea because of its rapid development to reproductive stage and its detrimental effect on native fish populations.[11] Scientists have determined that the fish in the Mediterranean are all descended from a small number of ancestors, possibly as a result of a single invasion event, and are not as genetically variable as their conspecifics in the Red Sea.[8]

Morphology

Fistularia commersonii from French Polynesia

The bluespotted cornetfish grows to a length of 1.6 m (5.2 ft), but the average is around 1 metre (3 ft 3 in).[3] It is notable for its unusually long, slender body shape.[12] It has a tubular snout, large eyes and a long tail filament lined with sensory pores which may help with detecting prey. Its body is tinted blue-grey to greenish-grey[6] with two thin blue stripes or lines of dots on the back and lighter on the front.[3] Its body pattern changes to a broad banded pattern at night.[12]

Biology

The bluespotted cornetfish is usually a solitary predator, stalking and feeding on small fishes, crustaceans, and squid.[3] Sometimes, they feed in small groups along the bottom on small, bottom-dwelling fish which their long snouts are very efficient at sucking up. These fish are adept at feeding on young fish that live in thickets of seagrass meadows (Posidonia oceanica), which can significantly reduce the ability of native fish populations to survive to reproductive adulthood.[13] They can also hover or swim in small schools just below the surface.[6] Reproduction is oviparous.[3] The large eggs hatch and develop outside of the body. Larvae hatch at 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in).

Bacteria living in the mucous on the skin of the bluespotted cornetfish may allow it to glide more easily through salt water.[14]

Research on the parasites that live in bluespotted cornetfish reveals that parasites continue to thrive in its host even as it colonises non-native locations. This contradicts the prevailing theory, called enemy release hypothesis, that parasites would not be able to survive in hosts as they encounter new marine territory.[15] The presence of introduced parasites affects not only Fistularia commersonii, but also other fish and marine animals in their native habitats.

Human relevance

The fish is of minor importance commercially, mostly being sold as fish meal but also fresh and preserved.[12] It is also sold as an aquarium fish.

Name

The specific name honours the French botanist Philibert Commerson (1727-1773).[16]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bluespotted cornetfish.
Wikispecies has information related to Bluespotted cornetfish.
  1. 1 2 Pollom, R. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Fistularia commersonii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T18257780A115368874. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T18257780A88675577.en.
  2. ↑ "Fistularia commersonii". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2018). "Fistularia commersoni" in FishBase. February 2018 version.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ Bariche, Michel; Fricke, Ronald (2020-05-12). "Fistularia commersonii Ruppell 1838". doi:10.5281/ZENODO.4346366. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. 1 2 3 Humann, Paul; DeLoach, Ned (2004). Reef Fish Identification: Baja to Panama. Ned DeLoach (1st ed.). Jacksonville, Fla.: New World. ISBN 1-878348-38-8. OCLC 56980668.
  7. ↑ Domenico Meloni & Pierluigi Piras (2013). "Fistularia commersonii (Syngnathiformes Fistularidae), in the South-Western Mediterranean Sea" (PDF). Biodiversity Journal. 4 (3): 435–438.
  8. 1 2 Ernesto Azzurro; S. Soto; Germana Garafolo & Francesc Maynou (2012). "Fistularia commersoniiin the Mediterranean Sea: Invasion history and distributional modeling based on presence only records". Biological Invasions. 15 (5): 977–990. doi:10.1007/s10530-012-0344-4. hdl:10261/83100.
  9. ↑ "Fistularia commersonii Bluespotted Cornetfish". Encyclopedia of Life. eol. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  10. ↑ Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea (Fistularia commersonii). 2nd Edition. 2021. 366p. CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco.https://ciesm.org/atlas/fishes_2nd_edition/Fistularia_commersonii.pdf
  11. ↑ Ragheb, Evelyn (2022-06-01). "Morphometric and meristic characteristics of the first record Fistularia petimba (Lacepède, 1803) and Fistularia commersonii (Rüppell, 1838) (Piscès: Fistulariidae) from the Egyptian Mediterranean waters (West Alexandria)". The Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research. 48 (2): 143–150. doi:10.1016/j.ejar.2022.01.003. ISSN 1687-4285.
  12. 1 2 3 Bray, Dianne; Thompson, Vanessa. "Smooth Flutemouth, Fistularia commersonii". Fishes of Australia. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  13. ↑ Kalogirou, S.; Corsini, M.; Kondilatos, G.; Wennhage, H. (2007-10-18). "Diet of the invasive piscivorous fish Fistularia commersonii in a recently colonised area of the eastern Mediterranean". Biological Invasions. 9 (8): 887–896. doi:10.1007/s10530-006-9088-3. ISSN 1387-3547.
  14. ↑ Bernadsky, G.; Rosenberg, E. (1992). "Drag-Reducing Properties of Bacteria from the Skin Mucus of the Cornetfish (Fistularia commersonii)". Microbial Ecology. 24 (1): 63–76. ISSN 0095-3628.
  15. ↑ Merella, P.; Pais, A.; Follesa, M. C.; Farjallah, S.; Mele, S.; Piras, M. C.; Garippa, G. (May 2016). "Parasites and Lessepsian migration of Fistularia commersonii (Osteichthyes, Fistulariidae): shadows and light on the enemy release hypothesis". Marine Biology. 163 (5): 97. doi:10.1007/s00227-016-2865-3. ISSN 0025-3162.
  16. ↑ "Biographical Etymology of Marine Organism Names. C". Hans G. Hansson. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
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