Species: Fistularia petimba, Red Cornetfish

Fistularia petimba Lacepede, 1803

Red Cornetfish

Body slender, elongate, square in cross-section, slightly depressed; a very long tubular snout with a short oblique mouth at the end; minute teeth; top, bottom and side snout ridges serrated in adult; area between eyes narrow and smooth; dorsal and anal fins short-based, near tail; dorsal fin triangular, 14-16; anal fin same form and size as dorsal fin, 14-15 rays; pectoral 15-17 rays; pelvics 6 rays, on abdomen well behind pectorals; tail fin forked, lobes smaller than dorsal fin, with a long central filament; lateral line arched at front half of body, continues out onto tail filament; with elongate bony plates imbedded in skin along center of back; bony plates on rear part of lateral line with forward pointing spines; skin covered with small spines.

Red to orange-brown above, silver below.

Size: 200 cm.

Habitat: soft bottoms; brackish and marine.

Depth: 10-200 m, usually below 10 m.

Circumtropical except for the eastern Pacific; Massachusetts to central Brazil.