Related FAQs: Trumpetfishes, Seahorses & their Relatives,  Related Articles:  /The Conscientious Aquarist Trumpetfishes, Family Aulostomidae:
By Bob Fenner	Aulostomus chinensis Hawai'i

Family Aulostomidae: One genus, three species. Unmistakable elongated bodies, with jaws bearing a fleshy barbel at their tip. Other superficially appearing fishes can be further distinguished from this family by their rounded caudal/tail fin, well-developed lateral line... and great size. Approaching a meter/yard in length.

Distribution:

    The tropical Atlantic and Indo-Pacific.

Aulostomus chinensis (Linnaeus 1766), the Chinese Trumpetfish. Indo-pan-Pacific; eastern Africa to Panama. To thirty two inches in length. Brown, green, mottled... to yellow. At right: yellow individual photographed in the Maldives and Galapagos. Below, individuals at a L.A. Wholesalers, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Big Island of Hawai'i, an eight inch individual off of Queensland, Australia, two close-ups of the heads of very yellow individuals in Huka Niva, Marquesas.

Bigger PIX: The images in this table are linked to large (desktop size) copies. Click on "framed" images to go to the larger size.

Aulostomus maculatus Valenciennes 1837, the Trumpetfish. Tropical West Atlantic; Florida to Venezuela. To a meter in length. Occurs in many and changeable colors, markings; brown, yellow, bluish striped... Right: off of the Bahamas. Below, some examples of differences in color, pattern. Antigua, Bahamas, and St. Lucia.

Verticals (Full/Cover Page Sizes Available)

Bigger PIX: The images in this table are linked to large (desktop size) copies. Click on "framed" images to go to the larger size.

Aulostomus strigosus Wheeler 1955, the Atlantic Cornetfish. Eastern Atlantic; Cape Verde, other islands, western African coast. To thirty inches in length.

Trumpetfishes like to "hang out" with other fishes, invertebrates for cover/camouflage likely; as well as to capture some of the organisms these others scare out during foraging.

Bibliography/Further Reading:

Krechmer, Michael. 1993. Trumpetfishes: Aquarium oddities. TFH 3/93

Stratton, Richard F.  1994. Trumpetfishes: Definitely Different . TFH 12/94.