Chinese trumpetfish [SEP] parent taxon
Chinese trumpetfish
The Chinese trumpetfish, "Aulostomus chinensis", is a demersal marine fish belonging to the family Aulostomidae.
Description.
"Aulostomus chinensis" is a medium-sized fish which grows up to 80 cm in length. Its body is elongated and compressed laterally, with a long, tubular snout which has a small barbel at its inferior extremity. The protusible mouth can be extended forward to catch prey. On the top posterior part of the body, the dorsal fin is composed of two parts,
to 120 m deep.
Behaviour.
The Chinese trumpetfish is diurnal and solitary. It is a clever stealth hunter with two techniques to catch its prey. The first is the ambush, consisting of lying in wait for a potential prey close to hard coral, black coral bush, or gorgonian. The second is the discrete tracking, where the trumpetfish stays close to some big fishes (groupers, carangids) or even hawksbill sea turtles ("Eretmochelys imbricata") until it has the opportunity to approach unsuspecting prey.