Cornetfish

{{Short description|Family of fishes}} {{Automatic taxobox | name = Cornetfish | fossil_range = {{fossilrange|33|0|PS=Early Oligocene to Present<ref>{{cite journal |last=Sepkoski |first=Jack |title=A compendium of fossil marine animal genera |journal=Bulletins of American Paleontology |volume=364 |page=560 |date=2002 |url=http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class |accessdate=2007-12-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220223520/http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class |archivedate=2009-02-20 }}</ref>}} | image = Fistularia commersonii.jpg | image_caption = ''Fistularia commersonii'' | parent_authority = Stark, 1828 | taxon = Fistularia | display_parents = 3 | authority = Linnaeus, 1758 | type_species = ''Fistularia tabacaria'' | type_species_authority = Linnaeus, 1758 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text. | synonyms = *''Cannorynchus'' Cantor, 1849 *''Flagellaria'' Gronow, 1854 *''Solenostomus'' Gill, 1861 | synonyms_ref = <ref name = CoF>{{Cof genus |genus=Fistularia |access-date=10 June 2018}}</ref> }}

The '''cornetfishes''' or '''flutemouths'''<ref>Fish of Australia, [http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/family/207 FISTULARIIDAE Flutemouths] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809044506/http://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/family/207 |date=2016-08-09 }} (Museum Victoria)</ref> are a small family, the '''Fistulariidae''', of extremely elongated fish in the order Syngnathiformes. The family consists of a single genus, '''''Fistularia''''', with four species, found worldwide in tropical and subtropical marine environments.<ref>Fritzsche, R.A. 1976. A review of the cornetfishes, genus Fistularia (Fistulariidae) with a discussion of intrageneric relationships and zoogeography. Bulletin of Marine Science 26(2): 196–204.</ref>

Ranging up to {{convert|2|m|ft|abbr=on}} in length, cornetfishes are as thin and elongated as many eels, but are distinguished by very long snouts, distinct dorsal and anal fins, and forked caudal fins whose center rays form a lengthy filament. The lateral line is well-developed and extends onto the caudal filament.<ref name=EoF/>

Cornetfish are found in tropical and temperate marine waters around the world, in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. They are often found in coastal waters over soft-bottomed areas like coral reefs, sand flats, and seagrass beds, where they feed on small fishes, crustaceans, and other invertebrates.<ref name=EoF>{{cite book |editor=Paxton, J.R. |editor2=Eschmeyer, W.N.|author1=Orr, J.W. |author2=Pietsch, T.W.|year=1998|title=Encyclopedia of Fishes|publisher= Academic Press|location=San Diego|pages= 170–171|isbn= 0-12-547665-5}}</ref>

Cornetfish are of minor interest for fishing, and can be found in local markets within their range.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-01-20|title=We find what looks like an alien species at a fish market so of course we make sashimi out of it|url=https://soranews24.com/2022/01/20/we-find-what-looks-like-an-alien-species-at-a-fish-market-so-of-course-we-make-sashimi-out-of-it/|access-date=2022-01-20|website=SoraNews24 -Japan News-|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Species== Currently, four recognized species are placed in this genus:<ref>{{FishBase genus | genus = Fistularia| month = October | year = 2012}}</ref> * ''Fistularia commersonii'' Rüppell, 1838 (blue-spotted or smooth cornetfish) * ''Fistularia corneta'' C. H. Gilbert & Starks, 1904 (Pacific cornetfish) * ''Fistularia petimba'' Lacépède, 1803 (red cornetfish) * ''Fistularia tabacaria'' Linnaeus, 1758 (cornetfish or blue-spotted cornetfish) left|thumb|Fossil skull of ''F. koenigii'' from the Oligocene of Switzerland The following fossil species are also known:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cantalice|first=Kleyton Magno|last2=Alvarado-Ortega|first2=Jesús|date=2016-12-12 |title=Eekaulostomus cuevasae gen. and sp. nov., an ancient armored trumpetfish (Aulostomoidea) from Danian (Paleocene) marine deposits of Belisario Domínguez, Chiapas, southeastern Mexico |url=https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2016/1659-ancientarmored-trumpetfish |access-date=2024-12-30 |website=Palaeontologia Electronica |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Pictet |first=Antoine |last2=Chablais |first2=Jérôme |last3=Cavin |first3=Lionel |date=2013 |title=A new assemblage of ray-finned fishes (Teleostei) from the Lower Oligocene “Schistes à Meletta” from the Glières plateau, Bornes Massif, eastern France |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00015-013-0130-z |journal=Swiss Journal of Geosciences |language=en |volume=106 |issue=2 |pages=279–289 |doi=10.1007/s00015-013-0130-z |issn=1661-8726}}</ref>

* †''Fistularia contermina'' Daniltshenko, 1960 - Oligocene of North Caucasus, Russia * †''Fistularia licatae'' Sauvage, 1880 - Miocene of Italy * †''Fistularia koenigii'' Agassiz, 1839 - Oligocene of Switzerland

The species ''F. longirostris'' was formerly placed in this genus, but is now placed in ''Parasynarcualis''.<ref name=":0" />

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{commons cat}} *[https://vimeo.com/59366625 Cornetfish video from Makena Landing, Maui Hawaii] *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If200PKw34c YouTube video of a group of cornetfish taken in Shark's Bay, Egypt.] *[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2391197/ Genetic bottlenecks and successful biological invasions: the case of a recent Lessepsian migrant by Daniel Golani, Ernesto Azzurro, Maria Corsini-Foka, Manuela Falautano, Franco Andaloro, and Giacomo Bernardi]

Category:Fistulariidae Category:Extant Rupelian first appearances Category:Rupelian genus first appearances Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus