Cantherhines macrocerus

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Cantherhines macrocerus
American whitespotted filefish.jpg
American whitespotted filefish, Cantherhines macrocerus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Monacanthidae
Genus: Cantherhines
Species:
C. macrocerus
Binomial name
Cantherhines macrocerus
(Hollard, 1853)

Cantherhines macrocerus, commonly known as the whitespotted filefish, American whitespotted filefish, or whitespotted limefish, is a marine fish found along the coast of Florida extending southward into the Caribbean. This species is distinct and separate from Cantherhines dumerilii , the similarly named whitespotted filefish which is found in the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Contents

Description

American whitespotted filefish (Cantherhines macrocerus) Gaudy Filefish (181549127).jpg
American whitespotted filefish (Cantherhines macrocerus)
American whitespotted filefish (Cantherhines macrocerus) Whitespotted filefish Cantherhines macrocerus (4683410915).jpg
American whitespotted filefish (Cantherhines macrocerus)

The American whitespotted filefish typically has a brown or olive colored body, although it may also be grey. These fish can rapidly change appearance to a high contrast color pattern with a much darker background and many light colored spots [2] With a maximum length of around 18 inches, they are smaller than the scrawled filefish which is also found in their range. The American whitespotted filefish is often seen in pairs.

Diet

These fish are omnivorous; although they eat animals like sponges, stinging coral and gorgonians, and algae. [3]

As aquarium fish

The American whitespotted filefish can be kept in large aquariums. These fish are non-aggressive, need plenty of places to hide, and will eat brine shrimp, krill and algae. [4]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filefish</span> Family of fishes

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.

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<i>Diadema antillarum</i> Species of sea urchin

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valentin's sharpnose puffer</span> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scrawled cowfish</span> Species of fish

The scrawled cowfish is a species of boxfish native to the western tropical and equatorial Atlantic, as well as the Gulf of Mexico. They range in size from 8–15 inches (20–38 cm), with a maximum length of 18 inches (46 cm), and can be found at depths between 6 and 80 feet. It is common to occasional in Florida and Bahamas; occasional to uncommon in the Caribbean. It also occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, north to Massachusetts, Bermuda and south to Brazil in tropical and warm temperate waters.

<i>Panulirus argus</i> Species of crustacean

Panulirus argus, the Caribbean spiny lobster, is a species of spiny lobster that lives on reefs and in mangrove swamps in the western Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spongivore</span>

A spongivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating animals of the phylum Porifera, commonly called sea sponges, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their diet, spongivore animals like the hawksbill turtle have developed sharp, narrow bird-like beak that allows them to reach within crevices on the reef to obtain sponges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slippery dick</span> Species of fish

The slippery dick is a species of wrasse native to shallow, tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Aluterus scriptus</i> Species of fish

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midnight parrotfish</span> Species of fish

The midnight parrotfish is a species of parrotfish that inhabits coral reefs mainly in the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess parrotfish</span> Species of fish

The princess parrotfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish, in the family Scaridae. It is typically 20 to 25 centimetres long, found in the Caribbean, South Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Its behavior, similar to other parrotfishes, is to swim about the reef and sandy patches during the day, at depths between 3 and 25 metres, scraping algae on which it feeds.

<i>Cantherhines dumerilii</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Acanthurus guttatus</i> Species of fish

Acanthurus guttatus, the whitespotted surgeonfish, spotted surgeonfish, mustard surgeonfish, mustard tang or spotband surgeonfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes or tangs. It is found in shallow waters on reefs in the Indo-Pacific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coral reef fish</span> Fish which live amongst or in close relation to coral reefs

Coral reef fish are fish which live amongst or in close relation to coral reefs. Coral reefs form complex ecosystems with tremendous biodiversity. Among the myriad inhabitants, the fish stand out as colourful and interesting to watch. Hundreds of species can exist in a small area of a healthy reef, many of them hidden or well camouflaged. Reef fish have developed many ingenious specialisations adapted to survival on the reefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue parrotfish</span> Species of fish

The blue parrotfish is a member of the parrotfish genus Scarus. It is found on coral reefs in shallow water in the tropical and subtropical parts of the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. They usually forage in a group of 500 individuals for spawning and deterring predators while feeding.

<i>Bartholomea annulata</i> Species of sea anemone

Bartholomea annulata is a species of sea anemone in the family Aiptasiidae, commonly known as the ringed anemone or corkscrew anemone. It is one of the most common anemones found on reefs in the Caribbean Sea.

<i>Cantherhines</i> Genus of fishes

Cantherhines is a genus of filefishes.

<i>Monacanthus ciliatus</i> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orangespotted filefish</span> Species of fish

The orangespotted filefish is a species of filefish described by Ranzani in 1842. and it is native to shallow waters in the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

References

  1. Carpenter, K.E; Robertson, R.; Tyler, J. (2015). "Cantherhines macrocerus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T16430203A16510357.
  2. "What Types of Reef Fish Are Found in Florida and the Caribbean?". Archived from the original on 2014-07-10. Retrieved 2014-07-21.
  3. "Marine Species Identification Portal : Whitespotted filefish - Cantherhines macrocerus" . Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  4. "SaltyTank - White Spotted Filefish, Cantherhines macrocerus Profile, facts & care information" . Retrieved 8 September 2014.