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Longsnout Butterflyfish
Prognathodes aculeatus
Prognathodes aculeatus, or the longsnout butterflyfish, is a species of butterflyfish found in tropical West Atlantic waters. It is also known as the butterbun, the Caribbean longsnout butterflyfish or Poey's butterflyfish. This species may often be confused with the banded longsnout butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus).
From the article Prognathodes aculeatus on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
An average of 2 to 3 in (5–7.5 cm) long, the longsnout butterflyfish is commonly known for its namesake long snout that is much more distinctive than those of similar species. They also have a dusky to yellow colored stripe that runs almost vertically from the top of the head to the eyes (unlike the stripes on other butterflyfishes which extend past the eyes). The upper half of the longsnout butterflyfish is yellow that changes to orange and again darkens to brownish-orange. The dorsal fin of the fish is usually black.
Range & habitat
Fairly common throughout its range, the longsnout butterflyfish is found on natural and artificial reefs, usually 30 to 200 ft (10–60 m) in depth. It can be found off Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, in the Caribbean Sea, and off the coast of Venezuela.
Wikipedia: “Habitat and range”
What it does
Longsnout butterflyfish are much more solitary than many other members of their family. They also inhabit deeper reefs and spend much of their time foraging in recesses for invertebrates. It is also known to eat the tube feet of sea urchins and tube worm tentacles. Unlike many other members of its family, the longsnout butterflyfish does not pick parasites from other fish.
Wikipedia: “Behavior”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Prognathodes aculeatus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 110594.