Reef Cornetfish, Fistularia commersonii
Reef Cornetfish, Fistularia commersonii. Fish caught from shore at Km 21, Cabo Real, Baja California Sur, November 2008. Length: 1.22 m (4 feet 0 inches).
Reef Cornetfish, Fistularia commersonii. Fish caught off the Iman Bank, Baja California Sur, out of 140-foot water, October 2024. Length: ca. 1.22 m (4 feet 0 inches). Photograph courtesy of Chip Shapley, Los Barriles, Baja California Sur. This fish clearly extends the known length for this species.
Deepwater Cornetfish, Fistularia corneta, Caudal Fin Element (above) versus Reef Cornetfish, Fistularia commersonii, Caudal Fin Element (below). Amazingly similar!
Reef Cornetfish, Fistularia commersonii. Underwater photograph taken within the Palmire Marina, La Paz, Baja California Sur, February 2021. Photograph courtesy of Robert North.
Reef Cornetfish, Fistularia commersonii. Underwater photograph taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, March 2018. Photograph courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.
Reef Cornetfish, Fistularia commersonii. Underwater photograph taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, January 2019. Photograph and identification courtesy of Maude Jette, Dive Zihuantanejo, www.Divezihuatanejo.com.
The Reef Cornetfish, Fistularia commersonii, is a member of the Cornetfish or Fistulariidae Family, that is also known as the Bluespotted Cornetfish and in Mexico as corneta pintada. Globally, there are thirteen species in the genus Fistularia, of which four are found in Mexican waters, two in the Atlantic Ocean and two in the Pacific Ocean.
The Reef Cornetfish has an extremely elongated, depressed body with a very long tubular snout and a short oblique terminal mouth equipped with minute teeth. They vary in color, with both barred and striped phases but normally have two blue stripes along the top of the back and two rows of blue spots immediately adjacent to the dorsal fin. When caught some fish can be totally transparent but quickly change to a dark brown even before being returned to the ocean. When stationary, they assume a barred pattern to blend into the surroundings; when swimming, the bars fade and are replaced with thin blue stripes. They have robust jaws and snouts and the distance between the eyes is narrow. Their anal and dorsal fins are sickle-shaped and found at the rear of the body directly opposite each other. Their anal fin has 14 to 16 rays and the dorsal fin has 15 to 17 rays; their caudal fin is forked with a long white central filament; and, their pelvic fins are well behind their pectoral fins. Their lateral line is arched over the first half of the body and continues into the tail filament.
The Reef Cornetfish is found free-swimming over reefs and seaweed beds at depths up to 133 m (435 feet). They reach a maximum of 1.60 m (5 feet 3 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 1.65 kg (3 lbs 11 oz) with the fish caught in coastal Japanese waters in March 2018. They are stalking predators that actively hunt such ecologically diverse species as small blennioids, halfbeaks, herrings, and snake eels. It has been reported that they do not take cover after dark. The Reef Cornetfish 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 Reef Cornetfish is a circumglobal species and is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific with the exception that they are absent from north of Magdalena Bay, Baja Californa Sur, along the central and northwest coasts of Baja.
The Reef Cornetfish can be confused with the Deepwater Cornetfish, Fistularia corneta (smaller snout, uniform orange-brown coloration).
From a conservation perspective the Reef Cornetfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are a visual phenomenon and a true exotic, however is of limited interest to most and considered a “catch and release.” They are accessible and can be caught off the beach on rare occasions.