Acreichthys tomentosus

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular names
English : Bristletail filefish
French : Poisson-lime des herbiers

Classification
Class : Teleostei
Order : Tetraodontiformes
Family : Monacanthidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can grow to 14 cm in length but usually less. Covered with small bristle-like projections giving it a “powdered aspect”. Coloration mottled yellow to beige-brown to green with a black and white broad V-shaped mark on flanks.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in the Indo Pacific area, from East Africa to South-Japan, south to New South Wales (Australia), east to Fiji and Tonga. Lives in shallow coral reefs, in areas with weed and sea grasses, to 12 meters.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species has a large range and can live independently from coral reefs as long as seagrasses are present. Not yet threatened by habitat loss.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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