Filefish

Filefish
	Stephanolepis hispidus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Tetraodontiformes
Suborder:	Balistoidei
Family:	Monacanthidae ; Nardo, 1843
Genera
	See text

Last updated December 13, 2024

The filefish (Monacanthidae) are a diverse family of tropical to subtropical tetraodontiform marine fish, which are also known as foolfish, leatherjackets or shingles. They live in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Filefish are closely related to triggerfish, pufferfish and trunkfish.

Description

Appearing very much like their close relatives the triggerfish, filefish are rhomboid-shaped, with beautifully elaborate cryptic patterns. Deeply keeled bodies give a false impression of size when the fish are viewed facing the flanks. Filefish have soft, simple fins, with comparatively small pectoral fins and truncated, fan-shaped tail fins; a slender, retractable spine crowns the head. Although there are usually two of these spines, the second spine is greatly reduced, being used only to lock the first spine in the erect position. That gives rise to the family name Monacanthidae, from the Greek monos meaning "one" and akantha meaning "thorn". Some species also have recurved spines on the base of the tail ( caudal peduncle ).

The small terminal mouths of filefish have specialized incisor teeth on the upper and lower jaw. In the upper jaw there are four teeth in the inner series and six in the outer series. In the lower jaw, there are four to six in an outer series only. The snout is tapered and projecting and the eyes are located high on the head. Filefish have rough non-overlapping scales with small spikes, which is why they are called filefish. Although scaled, some filefish have such small scales that they appear scaleless. Like the triggerfish, filefish have small gill openings and greatly elongated pelvic bones, creating a "dewlap" of skin running between the bone's sharply keeled termination and the belly. The pelvis is articulated with other bones of the "pelvic girdle" and is capable of moving upwards and downwards in many species to form a large dewlap, which is used to make the fish appear much deeper in the body than is actually the case. Some filefish erect the dorsal spine and pelvis simultaneously to make it more difficult for a predator to remove them from a cave.

The largest filefish species is the scrawled filefish (Aluterus scriptus) at up to 110 cm (43 in) in length. Most species are less than 60 cm (24 in) in length. There is marked sexual dimorphism in some species, with the sexes possessing different coloration, different body shapes, and the males with larger caudal spines and bristles.

Habitat and life history

Adult filefish are generally shallow water fish, inhabiting depths of no more than about 30 metres. They may be found in lagoons or associated with seaward reefs and seagrass beds; some species may also enter estuaries. Some species are closely associated with dense mats of sargassum , a particularly ubiquitous "sea weed"; these filefish, notably the planehead filefish ( Stephanolepis hispidus ) are also coloured and patterned to match their weedy environments.

Either solitary, in pairs or small groups depending on the species, filefish are not terribly good swimmers; their small fins confine the fish to a sluggish gait. Filefish are often observed drifting head downward amongst stands of seaweed,^[4] presumably in an effort to fool both predator and prey alike. When threatened, filefish may retreat into crevices in the reef.

The feeding habits of filefish vary among the species, with some eating only algae and seagrass; others also eat small benthic invertebrates, such as tunicates, gorgonians, and hydrozoans; and some species eat corals (corallivores). It is the latter two habits which have largely precluded the introduction of filefish into the aquarium hobby.

Filefish spawn at bottom sites prepared and guarded by the males; both he and the female may guard the brood, or the male alone, depending on the species. The young filefish are pelagic; that is, they frequent open water. Sargassum provides a safe retreat for many species, both fish and weed being at the current's mercy. Juvenile filefish are at risk from predation by tuna and dolphinfish.

As food

In FAO fisheries statistics, the largest category of filefish are Cantherhines spp. with annual landings around 200,000 tonnes in recent years, mostly by China. Landings of threadsail filefish (Stephanolepis cirrhifer) and smooth leatherjacket (Meuschenia scaber) are reported at species level, with the rest as "Filefishes, leatherjackets nei" (nei = not elsewhere included).^[5]

Threadsail filefish (Stephanolepis cirrhifer) is a popular snack food in Korea. It is typically dried and made into a sweet and salty jerky called jwipo (Korean : 쥐포), which is then roasted before eating.

Genera

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triggerfish</span> Family of ray-finned fishes

Triggerfish are about 40 species of often brightly colored marine rey-finned fishes belonging to the family Balistidae. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, with the greatest species richness in the Indo-Pacific. Most are found in relatively shallow, coastal habitats, especially at coral reefs, but a few, such as the oceanic triggerfish, are pelagic. While several species from this family are popular in the marine aquarium trade, they are often notoriously ill-tempered.

Amanses scopas, also known as the broom filefish, is a filefish, the only species in the genus Amanses of the family Monacanthidae. It is also called brush-sided leatherjacket in Australia or broom leatherjacket in Christmas Island.

The Zeidae are a family of large, showy, deep-bodied zeiform marine fish—the "true dories". Found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, the family contains just six species in two genera. All species are important and highly regarded food fish supporting commercial fisheries, and some—such as the John Dory —are enjoyed in large public aquaria. These fish are caught primarily by deep-sea trawling.

The smooth leatherjacket or velvet leatherjacket is a filefish of the family Monacanthidae, found off eastern Australia and all around New Zealand to depths of about 100 m (330 ft), on rocky weedy reef areas. Its length is between 25 and 31 cm. In New Zealand it is simply known as leatherjacket as it is the only fish of this family commonly found there, by the Māori language name kōkiri, or by its commercial name cream fish.

The orange-lined triggerfish, also known as the orangestripe triggerfish, red-lined triggerfish, striped triggerfish or vermiculated triggerfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Balistidae, the triggerfishes. This species is the only species in the monospecific genus Balistapus, which is closely related to the genus Balistoides, if that genus is reclassified as a monospecific genus with the clown triggerfish as its only species. The orange-lined triggerfish has a wide Indo-Pacific range.

Aluterus scriptus, commonly known as scrawled filefish, broomtail filefish or scribbled leatherjacket, is a marine fish belonging to the family Monacanthidae.

Balistes is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Balistidae, the triggerfishes. The triggerfishes in this genus are found in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific Ocean.

Cantherhines dumerilii is a species of fish in the family Monacanthidae, the filefishes. Its common names include whitespotted filefish, barred filefish, orange-fin file, and yelloweye leatherjacket. It is distributed in the Indian and Pacific Oceans where it is found on coral reefs.

Aluterus schoepfii, the orange filefish, is a species of fish in the family Monacanthidae. The species can also be listed under the family Balistidae. They can reach a maximum size of 62 centimetres (24 in) although they are common to 40 centimetres (16 in).

Stephanolepis is a genus of bony fish in the family Monacanthidae, the filefishes. Members of this genus are unusual-shaped fish and have a very rough skin which gives them their common name. They are laterally flattened and deep bodied with long dorsal and anal fins and a fan-shaped tail. They have a mouth at the tip of the projecting snout and a long spine on the top of the head.

Stephanolepis cirrhifer, commonly known as the thread-sail filefish, is a species of marine fish in the family Monacanthidae. It is found in the western Pacific, in an area that ranges from northern Japan to the East China Sea, to Korea. The fish grows to a maximum length of about 12 inches, and consumes both plant material and small marine organisms like skeleton shrimp. S. cirrhifer is host of the parasite Peniculus minuticaudae. Some minor genetic differentiation between S. cirrhifer born in the wild and those bred in a hatchery for consumer use has been shown. The fish is edible and sold commercially for culinary purposes in many Asian countries.

Monacanthus chinensis, commonly known as the fan-bellied leatherjacket or fantail leatherjacket, is a species of filefish native to the western Pacific Ocean and the eastern Indian Ocean where it is found on reefs and soft sediments at shallow depths. This species grows to a total length of 40 centimetres (16 in).

Tripodichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triacanthidae, the triplespines or tripodfishes. The three species in this genus are found in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean in shallow water over soft substrates.

Cantherhines pardalis is a species of fish in the family Monacanthidae, the filefishes. Common names include honeycomb filefish, honeycomb leatherjacket, and wire-netting filefish. It is native to the Indian Ocean, the eastern Atlantic, and the western Pacific, except for the seas around Hawaii, where it is replaced by Cantherhines sandwichiensis.

Acreichthys radiatus, commonly known as the radial filefish or the radial leatherjacket, is a species of demersal marine fish which belongs to the family Monacanthidae widespread throughout the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean, including the Ryukyu Islands, the Philippines, the oriental part of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the north east area of Australia, and New Caledonia. It is a small size fish that can reach a maximum size of 7 centimeters in length.

Acreichthys tomentosus, commonly known as the bristle-tail filefish or Aiptasia-eating filefish, is a species of demersal marine fish which belongs to the family Monacanthidae and is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-west Pacific. It is a small fish that can reach a maximum size of 12 cm (4.7 in) length and has the ability to rapidly change color and skin texture and patterns as to avoid detection and consequently predation. It is oviparous.

Monacanthus ciliatus, commonly known as the fringed filefish, the cuckold or the leather-fish, is a species of bony fish commonly found in shallow water in the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

Stephanolepis diaspros, commonly known as the reticulated filefish or the reticulated leatherjacket, is a species of bony fish, a ray-finned fish in the family Monacanthidae. Its natural range is the western Indian Ocean but it is also one of the species which has colonised the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal by Lessepsian migration from the Red Sea.

Balistes polylepis, the finescale triggerfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Balistidae, the triggerfishes. This triggerfish is found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

Balistoidei, or Sclerodermi, is a suborder of ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, the order which includes the pufferfishes, ocean sunfishes, boxfishes and related fishes. This suborder comprises two extant and three extinct families, the extant species in this taxon are widespread throughout the tropical and temperate seas of the world.

References

↑ Bailly, N. (2015). "Monacanthidae Nardo, 1843". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2016-01-12.
↑ Matsuura, K. (2014): Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014. Ichthyological Research, 62 (1): 72–113.
↑ Bray, D.J. (2012): Leatherjackets, MONACANTHIDAE, in Fishes of Australia, accessed 26 August 2014, http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/family/250 Archived 2020-05-21 at the Wayback Machine
↑ Gumanao G.S., A.R. Bos & J.E. Randall (2018). "Seagrass Filefish, Acreichthys tomentosus (Linnaeus), a master of camouflage". Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 30: 58–72.
↑ FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) (2011). Yearbook of fishery and aquaculture statistics 2009. Capture production (PDF). Rome: FAO. p. 182. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-05-19.

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[WoRMS-1] Bailly, N. (2015). "Monacanthidae Nardo, 1843". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2016-01-12.

[Matsuura2014-2] Matsuura, K. (2014): Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014. Ichthyological Research, 62 (1): 72–113.

[3] Bray, D.J. (2012): Leatherjackets, MONACANTHIDAE, in Fishes of Australia, accessed 26 August 2014, http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/family/250 Archived 2020-05-21 at the Wayback Machine

[4] Gumanao G.S., A.R. Bos & J.E. Randall (2018). "Seagrass Filefish, Acreichthys tomentosus (Linnaeus), a master of camouflage". Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 30: 58–72.

[FAO-5] FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) (2011). Yearbook of fishery and aquaculture statistics 2009. Capture production (PDF). Rome: FAO. p. 182. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-05-19.

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