Scrawled Filefish

The Aluterus scriptus, commonly referred to as the scrawled filefish, broomtail filefish, or scribbled leatherjacket, is a marine fish belonging to the Monacanthidae family.

This species is distributed worldwide and can be found in tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, 🌊 Indian Ocean, and 🌊 Pacific Ocean.

The scrawled filefish can be observed in various marine habitats such as lagoons, coral and rocky reefs, seaweed fields, pinnacles, wrecks, and open water.

With a medium size, the Aluterus scriptus can grow up to 110 cm (3.6 ft) in length. Its body shape is elongated and strongly compressed, resembling an oval. The background body coloration ranges from olive-brown to grey, depending on its surroundings. Irregular blue lines and spots are distributed on the body, along with some black spots, primarily on the head. Similar to an octopus, the colors may quickly change to blend with the background. In the Virgin Islands, these fish have been observed lying flat on the sand and turning pure white or adopting other representative colors. The mouth is small and located at the end of a pointed snout. As a Tetraodontiforme, it lacks pelvic fins but possesses two distinctive dorsal spines; the anterior one is long, slender, and erectile, situated just above the eyes, while the second spine is smaller and less noticeable, but it acts as a lock for the first spine when it is erected. The caudal fin is rounded, relatively long, and can be displayed as a fan. Juvenile scrawled filefish have a yellow body coloration with black spots.

Regarding its diet, the Aluterus scriptus is an omnivorous species, exhibiting a wide array of food preferences. It feeds on small crustaceans, algae, gorgonians, sea anemones, tunicates, fire coral, seagrasses, and hydrozoans.

Active during the day, the scrawled filefish is a demersal species that tends to be solitary and shy around divers. It is rarely seen in groups or schools.