Aluterus

Aluterus
Temporal range: Middle Miocene–present
Aluterus monoceros
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Division: Teleostei
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Monacanthidae
Genus: Aluterus
Cloquet, 1816
Synonyms
  • Davidia Miranda Ribeiro

Aluterus is a genus of filefishes. This genus is larger-bodied than many other monacanthids, with Aluterus scriptus being the largest filefish species, reaching 1.1 metres (3 ft 7 in) in total length.

The ability of Aluterus to rapidly change color has often been observed, which primarily thought to be for camouflage. This ability has not yet been studied scientifically.

Taxonomy

There are currently 4 recognized extant species in this genus:

Species Common name Image
Aluterus heudelotii

Hollard, 1855

 Dotterel filefish
Aluterus monoceros

Linnaeus, 1758

 Unicorn leatherjacket filefish
Aluterus schoepfii

Walbaum, 1792

 Orange filefish
Aluterus scriptus

Osbeck, 1765

 Scribbled leatherjacket filefish

The fossil species †Aluterus shigensis Miyajima, Koike & Matsuoka, 2014 is known from the Middle Miocene of Nagano, Japan.

The following cladogram is based on a 2016 molecular study of filefish and triggerfish (Balistidae):

Aluterus

References

  1. ↑ "Davidia Miranda Ribeiro, 1915". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  2. 1 2 "Phylogenetic relationships and the evolution of BMP4 in triggerfishes and filefishes (Balistoidea)". Elsevier Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 94. January 2016. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.09.014.
  3. ↑ "Aluterus scriptus (Osbeck, 1765) Scrawled Filefish". FishBase. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  4. ↑ Marijke. "Scrawled Filefish A Color-Changing Fish!". SnorkelThings.com. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "Same fish, different colors". Mieke's Bonaire. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Scribbled File Fish". Black Turtle Dive. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Aluterus scriptus". reef app. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Unicorn Filefish". Mexican Fish.com. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Orange Filefish". Mexican Fish.com. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Scrawled Filefish". Mexican Fish.com. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Aluterus scriptus". Monaco Nature Encyclopedia. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  12. ↑ Matsuura, K. (2014): Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014. Ichthyological Research, 62 (1): 72-113.
  13. ↑ Miyajima, Yusuke; Koike, Hakuichi; Matsuoka, Hiroshige (2014-04-10). "First fossil occurrence of a filefish (Tetraodontiformes; Monacanthidae) in Asia, from the Middle Miocene in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan". Zootaxa. 3786 (3): 382–400. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3786.3.7. hdl:2433/190960. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 24869542.