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Hawaii's Reef Fishes
Trumpetfishes (Aulostomidae)
Trumpetfish Aulostomus chinensis (Linnaeus, 1766)
Trumpetfishes are very elongate with a compressed body (i.e. narrower than deep), a small mouth at the end of along tubular snout, minute teeth, and a small barbel on the chin; there are 8 to 12 slender isolated dorsal spines, followed by a normal dorsal fin; the caudal fin is rounded to rhomboid.
They swim (when not in a hurry) by undulating the dorsal and anal fins which are set far back on the body. They feed mainly on fishes and shrimps by slowly moving close to the prey (often from a vertical stance), then darting forward and sucking it in. The ventral part of the snout is membranous and elastic, thus prey with a greater body depth than the snout can be eaten.
Trumpetfishes sometimes mingle with schools of plant-feeding surgeonfishes in order to approach small fishes disrupted by the school. Also they often swim alongside larger fishes, presumably to get closer to their prey.
There are three species in the world, one at islands of the eastern Atlantic, one in the western Atlantic, and the third in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Cornetfishes (Fistulariidae)
Fistularia commersonii (Ruppell, 1838) nunu peke
The cornetfishes are related to the trumpetfishes, and like them are very elongate with a long tubular snout, small oblique mouth, tiny teeth, and posterior position of the dorsal and anal fins. They differ notably in the body being depressed (broader than deep), by having a forked caudal fin with a long median filament, no fin spines, and short-based dorsal and anal fins. Cornetfishes also feed by sucking in their prey of small fishes in pipette fashion. They swim by undulation of the posterior part of the body. Four species are known, of which two occur in Hawai i (one only in deep water).
Trumpetfish
Aulostomus chinensis (Linnaeus, 1766) Nunu
Two color forms, yellow and the more common gray-brown or orangish brown, usually with faint narrow whitish stripes, becoming blackish posteriorly with vertical rows of white spots; 2 black spots in caudal fin, 1 at base of each pelvic fin, and a black streak on upper jaw.
Reaches at least 30 inches (76 cm). Indo-Pacific and tropical eastern Pacific, on coral reefs or rocky bottom.
Cornetfish
Fistularia commersonii (Ruppell, 1838) nunu peke
Greenish dorsally, shading to silvery white below, with 2 blue stripes or rows of blue spots; a dark-barred pattern maybe seen at night or when at rest near the bottom by day. Reported to 5 feet (150 cm), including the long caudal filament. lndo-Pacific and tropical eastern Pacific.
All information and pictures in this section are from John E. Randall's Shore Fishes of Hawai'i by permission of the author.
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