Longnose Filefish
Longnose Filefish
Oxymonacanthus longirostris
UncommonMonacanthidaeHarmless
ID points
- Emerald green ground covered with orange square patches
- Long slender upturned snout for picking coral polyps
- A black spot on the tail base, usually moves in pairs
Basics
- Family
- Monacanthidae
- Length
- 7–12 cm
- Depth
- 1-30 m
- Regions
- Indo-Pacific reefs
- Distribution
- Indo-Pacific coral reefs
- Habitat
- Staghorn coral thickets
- Diet
- Polyps of staghorn coral
Easily confused with
Scrawled FilefishBlue scrawled lines and black dots on an olive ground
Blue-ringed OctopusElectric blue rings flare over the whole body when it is provoked
Bobtail SquidBody short and round like a pouch, with two small rounded ear-like finsFun fact
The slender snout works like a needle, built for picking coral polyps and small crustaceans off the reef with great precision. It is the marksman of the filefish family.
Open in the field guide - stacking filters and ID training >