Scrawled filefish (Aluterus scriptus)
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Aluterus scriptus
- Common name
- Scrawled filefish
- Category
- Fish
- Family
- Monacanthidae
- Genus
- Aluterus
- Size
- 40–110 cm
- Depth
- 3–80 m
- IUCN status
- Least concern (LC)
- Danger level
- Harmless
- Habitats
- rocky-reef, open-water, seagrass
- Behaviours
- solitary, slow-mover
- Ocean zones
- Asian Pacific, Caribbean, Indian Ocean & Red Sea, Macaronesia, Eastern Pacific
Description
Aluterus scriptus reaches 110 cm. Very elongated filefish with compressed olive-beige to green-brown body with undulating light blue patterns, black spots and decorative sinuous lines (hence scrawled name). Long thin first dorsal spine. Lives from 3 to 80 m in open water and near tropical and warm-temperate drop-offs circumglobal (Macaronesia, Caribbean, Indo-Pacific). Solitary, slowly passing along drop-offs, camouflaged in seagrass. One of the most graceful filefish, prized photo subject.
Photo of Scrawled filefish
Frequently asked questions
- How big is the Scrawled filefish?
- Scrawled filefish (Aluterus scriptus) reaches 40–110 cm in length.
- At what depth can you find the Scrawled filefish?
- Scrawled filefish is found between 3–80 m deep.
- Is the Scrawled filefish dangerous to divers?
- Danger level: Harmless.
- What is the conservation status of the Scrawled filefish?
- IUCN status: Least concern (LC).
- Where can you find the Scrawled filefish?
- Found in: Asian Pacific, Caribbean, Indian Ocean & Red Sea, Macaronesia, Eastern Pacific.
Other species in the genus Aluterus
Other species in the family Monacanthidae
- Cantherhines pullus - Orangespotted filefish
- Cantherhines macrocerus - Whitespotted filefish
- Cantherhines sandwichiensis - Sandwich Islands filefish
Sources
- Taxonomy: WoRMS (AphiaID 159491)
- Photos: iNaturalist (CC BY-NC)
- Distribution: GBIF (taxonKey 2406721)
- Conservation: IUCN Red List
- Encyclopedia: Wikipedia