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Beaked Coralfish
Chelmon rostratus (Linnaeus, 1758)
A Beaked Coralfish at a depth of 12 m, Rodda Reef, far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, December 1999. Photo © E. Schlögl. View larger image.
Above and below: Beaked Coralfish at a depth of 13 m, Palau Redang, east coast of peninsular Malaysia, April 2001. Photo © E. Schlögl. View larger image.
A 15.2 mm long Beaked Coralfish caught in a light trap by J. Leis and B. Carson-Ewart at a depth between 1 m and 3 m, Researchers Beach, Lizard Island, Queensland, January 1996 (AMS I.41398-007). Photo: A. Hay © Australian Museum. View larger image.
The Beaked Coralfish has a very long snout and tall dorsal and anal fins. It has three orange bars and an ocellus on the dorsal fin rays.
There is a dark-margined orange bar through the eye and a blue-edged bar across the caudal peduncle.
The long snout of adults is not present in larvae or juveniles. It develops after the larval fish settles on the reef. The bottom image shows a fish that was caught just prior to settlement.
This species grows to 20 cm in length.
It occurs in tropical marine waters of the Indo-West Pacific.
In Australia it is known from the northern Great Barrier Reef to the central coast of New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Related links
- Eastern Talma fact sheet
- Western Talma fact sheet
- View the Butterflyfishes list
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Allen, G.R., Steene, R. & M. Allen. 1998. A Guide to Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes. Odyssey Publishing/Tropical Reef Research. Pp. 250.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
