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Beaked Leatherjacket
Oxymonacanthus longirostris (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Above and below: A Beaked Leatherjacket at a depth of 12 m, Wishbone Reef, Great Detached Reef, far northern Great Barrier Reef, November 2001. Photo ©
E. Schlögl. View
larger image.
Beaked Leatherjackets at a depth of 10 m,
the ‘Clam Gardens’, Ribbon Reefs, northern Great Barrier Reef, February 2005. Photo ©
Á. Lumnitzer. View
larger image.
The Beaked Leatherjacket has a long snout with a small upturned mouth. The body profile above and below the snout is concave.
The body is green with small dark-edged yellow to orange spots. There is a dark spot on the caudal fin.
It grows to 9 cm in length.
The species is often seen in pairs feeding on coral polyps.
The Beaked Leatherjacket occurs on coral reefs of the Indo-West Pacific.
In Australia it is known from the central coast of Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country and south to northern New South Wales. View an image of a fish from North West Solitary Island.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
The Beaked Leatherjacket has also been called the Harlequin Filefish and Longnose Filefish.
Related links
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Allen, G.R. & R. Swainston. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 201.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian Reef Fishes. Coral Graphics. Pp. 330.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
