Chinese Trumpetfish, Aulostomus chinensis

Chinese Trumpetfish, Aulostomus chinensis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Kona, Hawaii, July 2017. Length: 41 cm (16 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).

Chinese Trumpetfish, Aulostomus chinensis. Underwater photographs taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, January 2020. Photograph and identification courtesy of Maude Jette, Dive Zihuantanejo, www.Divezihuatanejo.com, www.Divezihuatanejo.com.

Chinese Trumpetfish, Aulostomus chinensis. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters off Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, October 2015. Photograph courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

The Chinese Trumpetfish, Aulostomus chinensis, is a member of the Trumpetfish or Aulostomidae Family, that is also known as the Pacific Trumpetfish and in Mexico as trompeta china. Globally, there are three species in the genus Aulostomus, of which two are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific Ocean.

The Chinese Trumpetfish has a very elongated and laterally compressed bodies with a long tubular snout. They exhibit three basic color phases: uniform gray, brown, and green; mottled gray, brown, and green; and uniform yellow. The rear portion of their body is black with white spotting. Their caudal fin is yellow with 2 black spots, 1 on top and the second below. Their pelvic fins have a basal spot. They have a strongly compressed head and a protrusible mouth. The tip of their snout has a small barbel. Their anal fin has 21 to 25 rays. Their caudal peduncle is elongated and their caudal fin is rounded. Their anal fin is narrow and high; their first dorsal fin has 8 to 12 isolated spines; their second dorsal fin has 24 to 27 small rays and is directly above the anal fin; and have small pelvic fins mid-body located well behind the pectoral fins. They are covered with small rough scales.

The Chinese Trumpetfish is a slow-moving benthopelagic diurnal solitary species found in calm clear waters within coral and rocky reefs from the surface to depths up to 245 m (800 feet). They reach a maximum of 80 cm (2 feet 7 inches) in length. They are ambush predator that lie in wait and feed on crustaceans and small fish. They are poor swimmers and follow larger fish via discrete and stealth tracking using them for camouflage. Reproduction is oviparous with external fertilization. Eggs and larvae are pelagic. Juveniles develop in the epipelagic zone then move to seagrass and coral reef environments. The Chinese Trumptfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Chinese Trumpetfish are widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In Mexican waters, they have only been reported along the lower southeast coast of Baja from La Paz to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.

The Chinese Trumpetfish can be confused with the Deepwater Cornetfish, Fistularia corneta (reddish orange color; elongated tail filament), the Reef Cornetfish, Fistularia commersonii (two rows of blue spots along back), and the Tubesnout, Aulorhynchus flavidus (cylindrical body; anal and second dorsal fins set well back on body).

From a conservation perspective the Chinese Trumpetfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Their long-term survival is of concern due to the degradation and loss of coral reefs that they regularly frequent. The Chinese Trumpetfish are of little interest to most with the exception that they are used on a limited basis by the aquarium trade.