Common Name
Longnose Butterflyfish
Year Described
Poey, 1860
Identification
Dorsal Fin: XIII, 18-19
Anal Fin: III, 14-16
Pectoral Fin: 13-15
Lateral Line Scales: 22-28
Body oval and highly compressed. Body asymmetrical with a more rounded upper profile and a more flattened lower profile. Nape strongly concave.
Snout long with a medium sized terminal mouth. Slender teeth in jaws in several rows. Preopercular edge lacks spines. Dorsal spines enlarged with deep notches in between spines. Soft dorsal and anal fin rounded. Third anal spine longest. Caudal fin evenly rounded to truncate. Pelvic fins thin and almost reach anus. Pectoral fin under angle of opercle. Lateral line arched in front but incomplete. Axillary scale present. Body, head, and most of median fins scaled.
Color
Body is golden yellow to orange above, grading to white below. A brown to orange band runs from the nape to eye and then forward across the snout. A thinner orange line runs across the opercle. The majority of the dorsal fin is dark brown but grades into the body coloration. The anal and pelvic fins are yellow. An orange band runs from the soft dorsal fin onto the caudal peduncle. The outer part of the soft dorsal and entire caudal fin are transparent. Juveniles like adults but orange is replaced with bright yellow and the dorsum and dorsal fin is blackish.
Size
Maximum size to 10cm SL. Usually 8-9.5cm SL.
Habitat
Coral reefs but prefers deep reefs (usually 15-55m). Can reach 177m. Feeds on tube-dwelling organisms and invertebrates deep in reef structure.
Range
Known from S. Florida to northern South America, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Also Bermuda.
References
McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. 2005. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Volume 2: Scorpaeniformes to Tetraodontiformes. University of Texas Press, Austin. i-viii +1-1004.