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Trumpetfish
Aulostomus chinensis (Linnaeus, 1766)

A Trumpetfish at Julian Rocks, Byron Bay, New South Wales. View larger image.

A Trumpetfish at a depth of 20m, Harrier Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, November 1998. View larger image.

An unusually coloured Trumpetfish at a depth of 20m, Southern Small Detached Reef, far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, December 2001. View larger image.

A Trumpetfish following two Blue-lined Spinefoot at a depth of 9m, Ribbon Reef #5, Great Barrier Reef, off Cooktown, Queensland, June 2002. View larger image.

The Trumpetfish can be recognised by its long body, tubular snout with minute teeth, its chin barbel (glossary) and the series of short dorsal spines.

The colouration of this species is variable. It is often brown or green with pale stripes and bars, and white spots posteriorly. A yellow (or xanthic) colour variety is common in some areas. Individual fish have the ability to change their colours very quickly.

This species grows to 80cm in length.

The Trumpetfish uses stealth and camouflage to prey on small fishes. It often approaches its prey vertically, darting down from above and sucking the prey into its long snout.

It is known to sometimes follow other fishes (lower image). Presumably following herbivorous fishes such as the Blue-lined Spinefoot (view fact sheet) allows the Trumpetfish to more easily approach potential prey without detection.

There is only one species in the genus Aulostomus. It occurs on coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific and eastern Pacific.

In Australia the Trumpetfish is recorded from most tropical waters and down the east coast to central New South Wales.

View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.

View a low resolution movie clip (40k) of this species. Go to the movies page for high and low resolution versions.

Further reading

1. Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
2. Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Crawford House Press. Pp. 437.
3. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
4. Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Seahorses, Pipefishes and their Relatives. A Comprehensive Guide to Syngnathiformes. TMC Publishing Pp. 240.
5. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.