Cornetfish

ID points

• Body long and thin like a tube, the snout making up a third of it
• A very long filament trails from the centre of the tail fin
• Two dashed blue lines often show along the flank

Basics

Family

Fistulariidae

Length

80–160 cm

Depth

1-130 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs

Distribution

Reefs and sand flats of the tropical Indo-Pacific

Habitat

Reef edges and sandy flats

Diet

Small fish and shrimp

Easily confused with

NeedlefishUpper and lower jaws equally drawn out into a slender pointed beakBeltfishBody thin and long like a silver ribbon, with no tail finHalfbeakOnly the lower jaw is drawn out into a needle, the upper jaw is short

Fun fact

Extremely long, thin and tube-shaped, reaching nearly 2 metres. It hangs vertically in the water or slips at an angle into a shoal to hide itself, then seizes unwary prey by surprise.