Aulostomus strigosus Wheeler, 1955

Taxonomy and Common Name

Aulostomus strigosus, commonly called the Atlantic trumpetfish, is a species of trumpetfish.

Body and Snout Shape

Like other trumpetfish, it has a long body with an upward-facing mouth at the end of a long tubular snout.

Color Change Function

This species can change its color, either to communicate excitement or for camouflage.

Common Base Colors

The most commonly recorded colors are brown, blue, green, or orange tones, along with intermediate shades.

Body Pattern Variations

It can display a pattern of pale vertical and/or horizontal lines, or dark mottling across its body.

Dorsal and Anal Fin Features

Its dorsal and anal fins are semitransparent, with a black dot positioned in front of each fin.

Additional Body and Caudal Fin Markings

Typically, it has four white spots on its body between the dorsal and anal fins, three white vertical lines on its long caudal peduncle, and a black submarginal dot on each margin of the caudal fin.

Coloration Cellular Basis

The wide variety of coloration seen in trumpetfish is produced by chromatophores, pigment-containing cells.

Blue Tone Source

Blue body tones come from melanophores, which hold a type of melanin called eumelanin that generally absorbs light.

Iridophore Presence in Blue Individuals

The heads of blue individuals contain iridophores, light-reflecting particles that are less common in trumpetfish of other colors.

Blue Color Formation Mechanism

The combination of light-absorbing melanin and light-reflecting iridophores creates this unique blue coloration.

Mottled Pattern Cellular Source

Other combinations of light-reactive pigment cells, including erythrophores and xanthophores, produce the different patterns seen on mottled individuals.

Similar Congeneric Species

Aulostomus strigosus can be confused with the West Atlantic trumpetfish Aulostomus maculatus due to their similar morphology and overlapping ranges.

Distinguishing Pattern from A. maculatus

Unlike A. maculatus, A. strigosus has never been recorded to have the silvery streaked patterns common in A. maculatus.

Maximum Size

This species reaches a maximum total length of 75 cm.

Habitat Type and Substrate

Aulostomus strigosus is a demersal coastal species that lives over rocky or coral substrates in inshore waters.

Atlantic Range Separation

A Mid-Atlantic barrier separates this eastern Atlantic species from the West Atlantic trumpetfish.

Eastern Atlantic Distribution

It inhabits a large range, occurring in the warm waters of the eastern Atlantic from Namibia north to Mauritania, and is also found in the Macaronesian Islands including Madeira, the Cape Verde Islands, and the Canary Islands.

Western Atlantic Occurrence

The species has also been recorded in Espírito Santo and St. Paul's rocks in Brazil.

Brazilian Population Taxonomic Correction

While fish from this Brazilian location were originally classified as A. maculatus due to similar morphology, they have since been found to be genetically identical to A. strigosus.

Depth Range

Aulostomus strigosus occurs at depths ranging from 5 m to 25 m.

Population Research Status

There is very little published information about the population dynamics of A. strigosus, and no focused surveys have been conducted for this species to date.

Population Abundance and Structure

The Atlantic trumpetfish is considered to be relatively uncommon, but it has a very strong population structure, unlike other trumpetfish species.

Trans-Atlantic Migration Status

Among all 106 amphi-Atlantic reef fish species, Aulostomus strigosus is one of only four that has migrated from the eastern Atlantic to the western Atlantic.