Aluterus
Genus of fishes
Aluterus is a genus of filefishes. This genus is larger-bodied than many other monacanthids, with Aluterus scriptus being the largest filefish species, reaching 1.1 metres (3 ft 7 in) in total length.
The ability of Aluterus to rapidly change color has often been observed, which primarily thought to be for camouflage. This ability has not yet been studied scientifically.
01Taxonomy
There are currently 4 recognized extant species in this genus:
| Species | Common name | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Aluterus heudelotii
Hollard, 1855 |
Dotterel filefish | |
| Aluterus monoceros
Linnaeus, 1758 |
Unicorn leatherjacket filefish | |
| Aluterus schoepfii
Walbaum, 1792 |
Orange filefish | |
| Aluterus scriptus
Osbeck, 1765 |
Scribbled leatherjacket filefish |
The fossil species †Aluterus shigensis Miyajima, Koike & Matsuoka, 2014 is known from the Middle Miocene of Nagano, Japan.
The following cladogram is based on a 2016 molecular study of filefish and triggerfish (Balistidae):
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Aluterus”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Aluterus monoceros.jpg by Richard Ling from NSW, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.