This family is in the same order of fish as pipefishes and seahorses
I took this photo of a blue-spotted cornetfish while snorkeling at Anini Beach on the island of Kauai in Hawai’i. Anini Beach is an isolated spot on the north side of the island. You have to go off the main road and wind along the ocean until you get to a long straight stretch of road that has parking on the north side. You can tell that this is where a lot of people like to hang out by the lack of available parking and the large amounts of people on the beach. It was a perfect spot to go snorkeling while on a long road trip because there was a public restroom for easy changing in and out of swimsuits. The water is very shallow for a long time, so you don’t have to be a great swimmer to snorkel here.
The blue-spotted cornetfish can be found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. This is a common fish to see in Hawai’i. The scientific name for this species is Fistularia tabacaria. It is also known as the smooth cornetfish and the smooth flutemouth. It belongs to the family of fish called Fistulariidae. This family is in the same order of fish as pipefishes and seahorses, the Syngnathiformes order.
This can be a large fish. It is known to grow to lengths of over five feet (1.6 meters). On average they are about 3 feet 3 inches longs (about 1 meter). They have a long, slender, tube-like body shape. They snout is similarly long and tube-like. The eyes are known to be large. The body is blueish to greenish grey. As you can see in this photo, there are two thin blue strips that are comprised of lines of dots down its back. The blue-spotted cornetfish has excellent camouflage. At night its body pattern can change to a broad-banded pattern.
Blue-spotted cornetfish are hunters that tend to live alone. They eat small fish, crustaceans, and squid. They are occasionally seen in small groups along the sea floor. These fish can suck up other small fish through their long snouts, whether that’s in seagrass meadows or along a sandy bottom. Blue-spotted cornetfish are often seen hovering just below the surface.
At night its body pattern can change to a broad-banded pattern
Did you know?
- In 2000, a blue-spotted cornetfish was reported in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel.
- The Fistulariidae family is known as the cornetfish or flutemouth family. It is relatively small with only four recognized species.
- The longest species of cornetfish can be up to 6.6 feet long (2 meters).
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