Cornetfish Family – Fistualariidae

There are currently TWO members of the Cornetfish or Fistualariidae Family, both from the Pacific Ocean, are presented in this website:

FROM THE PACIFIC (2):

The Conetfish or Fistualiidae Family has five global members of which four are found in Mexican waters, two in the Atlantic Ocean and two in the Pacific Ocean. They are known in Mexico’s fishing areas as cornetas. They are closely related to the Trumpetfish (Aulostomidae), which are more robust and lack the caudal filament.

The Cornetfish are medium-sized fish that range from 70 cm (28 inches) to 1.60 m (5 feet 2 inches) in length. Their bodies are extremely elongated and depressed and they have very long tubular snouts that have a hexagonal cross section with a short oblique terminal mouth equipped with minute teeth. Cornetfish species vary in color from red-brown to gray-green, with a lighter color on their undersides. Their anal and dorsal fins are identical and feature 14 to 17 segmented soft rays; they are found at the rear of the body and directly opposite each other. Their caudal fin is forked with a long central filament produced by the middle 2 caudal fin rays; and their pelvic fins, which have 6 rays, are on the abdomen located well behind their pectoral fins, which have 13 to 17 rays. They have a lateral line that is arched on the front half of the body and continues into the tail filament.

The Cornetifish are found from coastal areas (soft bottoms) to rocky and coral areas. They are stalking predators that actively hunt such ecologically diverse species as small blennioids, halfbeaks, herrings, and snake eels.  The Cornetfish, in general, are poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Cornetfish cannot be easily confused with any other species due to their elongated and depressed bodies and their very long tubular snouts.

Cornetfish are taken as a by-catch of deepwater trawlers and sold commercially for human consumption in some fish markets. Although edible, they provide limited amounts of meat and are thus primarily used in fishmeal.