Species: Fistularia tabacaria, Bluespotted Cornetfish

Fistularia tabacaria Linnaeus, 1758

Bluespotted 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 and bottom snout ridges smooth in adult, side ridge with small serrations; 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; without elongate bony plates imbedded in skin along center of back; bony plates on rear part of lateral line without forward pointing spines; skin covered with small spines.

Brown above, lighter below; 2 rows of blue spots on side of snout, 1 along center of back and 1 on each side of back.

Size: 200 cm.

Habitat: usually around reefs and seagrass beds.

Depth: 1-250 m.

Both sides of the Atlantic; Nova Scotia to Brazil.