{{Short description|Genus of fishes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = {{fossil range|50|0|Early Eocene to present}} | image = Aulostomus chinensis Maldives 2.JPG | image_caption = ''Aulostomus chinensis'' | taxon = Aulostomus | display_parents = 3 | authority = Lacépède, 1803<ref name = FishBase/> | parent_authority = Rafinesque, 1815<ref name = WOrMS>{{cite WoRMS |title=Aulostomidae Rafinesque, 1815 |id=154576 |year=2017 |accessdate =10 June 2018 |db=FishBase}}</ref> | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text | type_species = ''Fistularia chinensis'' | type_species_authority = Linnaeus, 1766<ref name = Type>{{Cof family|family=Aulostomidae|access-date=23 December 2022}}</ref> | synonyms = *''Polypterichthys'' <small>Bleeker, 1853</small> *''Solenostoma'' <small>Duméril, 1805</small> *''Solenostomus'' <small>Gray, 1854</small> | synonyms_ref = <ref name = CoF>{{Cof family |Aulostomidae|access-date=10 June 2018}}</ref> }}
The '''trumpetfishes''' are three species of highly specialized, tubularly-elongated marine fishes in the genus '''''Aulostomus''''', of the monogeneric family '''Aulostomidae'''. The trumpetfishes are members of the order Syngnathiformes, together with the seahorses and the similarly built, closely related cornetfishes.<ref name="Fishbase">{{FishBase family | family = Aulostomidae | year = 2011 | month = February}}</ref><ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS | id = 166409 | taxon = Aulostomidae | accessdate = 4 February 2007 }}</ref>
The genus name ''Aulostomus'' comes from Ancient Greek αὐλός (''aulós''), meaning "flute", and στόμα (''stóma''), meaning "mouth", referring to the trumpetfishes' tube-shaped snouts.<ref name="Fishbase"/> "Flutemouth" is another less-common name for the members of the family (although this word is more often used to refer to closely related cornetfishes of the family Fistulariidae).
Trumpetfishes are found in tropical waters worldwide, with two species in the Atlantic and one in the Indo-Pacific. They are mostly demersal reef-dwellers, where one species seems to prefer rocky substrate.
{{Multiple image | image1 = Pacific Trumpetfish and Blacksaddle Coralgrouper, Gladstone, QLD, Australia imported from iNaturalist photo 6865142.jpg | align = left | direction = vertical | total_width = 200 | image2 = Mycteroperca tigris 31718453.jpg | caption1 = Chinese trumpetfish (''A. chinensis'') with a black-saddled coral grouper | caption2 = West Atlantic trumpetfish (''A. maculatus'') with a tiger grouper }}
They are relatively large for reef fish, where they reach almost 1 m in length. Bodies of trumpetfish are rigid, elongated, and pike-shaped.<ref name=juanes>{{cite book|author=Juanes, F. |author2=Buckel, J.A. |author3=Scharf, F.S. |title=Handbook of fish biology and fisheries | chapter= 12 Feeding Ecology of Piscivorous Fishes|publisher =Blackwell Publishing|year=2002|url=https://people.uncw.edu/scharff/publications/2002%20Book%20chapter%20(Juanes,%20Buckel,%20Scharf).pdf|isbn=0-632-05412-3}} Accessed 2009-06-08.</ref> Their dorsal and anal fins are closely adjacent to the tail, where individual dorsal spines reach midway towards the head region. Similar to most members of the order Syngnathiformes, the bodies of trumpetfish are inflexible, supported by interwoven struts of bone. A distinct trait of the family is their long, tubular snouts ending with somewhat undistinguished jaws. Members of the family have the capability to expand their jaws quickly into a circular, gaping hole almost to the body's diameter when feeding.
Aulostomids are highly carnivorous fish. They stalk<ref name=juanes/> their prey by hovering almost motionlessly a few inches above the substrate, making their way towards unsuspecting prey. Once close enough, they quickly dart in and expand their jaws rapidly. Opening their tube-like mouths in quick succession creates a strong suction force, which draws prey straight into the mouth. Aulostomids are known to feed almost exclusively on small, schooling reef fishes.<ref name=EoF>{{cite book |editor=Paxton, J.R. |editor2=Eschmeyer, W.N.|author1=Orr, J.W. |author2=Pietsch, T.W. |name-list-style=amp |year=1998|title=Encyclopedia of Fishes|publisher= Academic Press|location=San Diego|pages= 170–171|isbn= 0-12-547665-5}}</ref>
While they have no commercial fisheries value, members of the family have been known to occasionally be found in the aquarium trade. Although not popular aquarium fish, they are common enough to have websites featuring instructions on keeping them in captivity.<ref name="Aquaticcommunity">{{cite web | title =Chinese trumpetfish – Aulostomus chinensis | work =Aquatic Community Tropical Fish | publisher =AquaticCommunity.com | date =2004 | url =https://www.aquaticcommunity.com/marinefish/chinesetrumpetfish.php | access-date = 2007-02-04 }}</ref>
==Species== Currently, three species in this genus are recognized:<ref name = FishBase>{{FishBase genus | genus = Aulostomus| month = October | year = 2012}}</ref> * ''Aulostomus chinensis'' <small>(Linnaeus, 1766)</small> (Chinese trumpetfish) * ''Aulostomus maculatus'' <small>Valenciennes, 1841</small> (West Atlantic trumpetfish) * ''Aulostomus strigosus'' <small>Wheeler, 1955</small> (Atlantic trumpetfish) The following fossil species of ''Aulostomus'' are also known:<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Cantalice|first1=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 |journal=Palaeontologia Electronica |doi=10.26879/682 |language=en|doi-access=free }}</ref>
* †''Aulostomus fractus'' <small>Daniltshenko, 1960</small> - Early Oligocene of the North Caucasus, Russia<ref>{{Cite web |title=PBDB Taxon |url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=355860&is_real_user=1 |access-date=2024-12-30 |website=paleobiodb.org}}</ref> * †''Aulostomus medius'' <small>Weiler, 1920</small> - Early Oligocene of Germany<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Parin |first1=N. N. |last2=Micklich |first2=Norbert |date=1996 |title=Two aulostomoid fishes (Aulostomidae, Syngnathiformes) from the Lower Oligocene of Germany |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289116271 |journal=Палеонтологический журнал |volume=30 |issue=1}}</ref>
Other extinct fossil genera within the Aulostomidae include ''Eoaulostomus'', ''Macroaulostomus'', ''Jungersenichthys'', ''Synhypuralis'' & ''Tyleria'', all from the Early Eocene of Italy, as well as ''Frauenweilerostomus'' from the Early Oligocene of Germany.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Carnevale |first1=G. |last2=Bannikov |first2=Alexandre F. |last3=Marramà |first3=G. |last4=Tyler |first4=James C. |last5=Zorzin. |first5=R. |date=2014 |title=The Bolca Fossil-Lagerstätte: A window into the Eocene World. 5. The Pesciara- Monte Postale Fossil-Lagerstätte: 2. Fishes and other vertebrates. Excursion guide |url=https://iris.unito.it/bitstream/2318/149338/1/Carnevale%20et%20al%202014%20The%20Pesciara%20F-L.%20Fishes%20and%20other%20vertebrates2.pdf |journal=Rendiconti della Società Paleontologica Italiana |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=i–xxvii |hdl=10088/25678}}</ref>
==See also== * ''Macroramphosus scolopax'', or longspine snipefish (also known as the trumpetfish, though not part of the family Aulostomidae)
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Aulostomus}} * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvaAGONJ2q8 A YouTube video of a trumpetfish exhibiting its hovering swimming style]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2513729}}
Category:Aulostomidae Category:Fish of the Pacific Ocean Category:Fish of the Atlantic Ocean Category:Marine fish genera Category:Taxa named by Bernard Germain de Lacépède