Deepwater cornetfish

Fistularia corneta is an extremely elongate fish with a filament on its tail that lives in the eastern Pacific from southern California to Peru ^[1]. Adults are found deeper than 30 m and feed on small fishes ^[1].

It is the least studied species of its genus: a 2026 review found 13 sources on it, against 168 on its relative Fistularia commersonii ^[2]. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern ^[3].

The body is very long, flattened and tube-shaped, and the tail ends in an elongated filament ^[1]. The dorsal and anal fins have no spines: the dorsal has 17 to 20 soft rays and the anal 16 to 19, and there are 75 to 76 vertebrae ^[1].

In life the upper side is orange to red with brown and black blotches, and the belly is lighter; the dorsal and anal fins have orange bases and the tail filament is dusky ^[1]. Another review describes the caudal filament as white and the dorsal blotches as brown to black ^[2].

Like other cornetfishes, it changes pattern: dark bars have been observed when it is stationary and lighter stripes when it is moving ^[2]. Within the genus, Fistularia commersonii is brown to olive above with blue stripes or dots along the back, whereas Fistularia petimba is orange to brown above and silvery below ^[2]. Descriptions of adult morphology are enough to tell the four species of the genus apart ^[2].

Fistularia corneta is the only species of its genus restricted to the eastern Pacific: it is recorded from southern California, the Gulf of California and the western coast of Baja California, in Mexico, to Peru, including many offshore islands ^[1]. In that region it is regarded as a pelagic-neritic species of tropical waters ^[1].

Adults live deeper than 30 m, along continental and island margins, over rocky substrates ^[1]. A recent review associates it with sand and rock bottoms and notes that it has the fewest habitat types of any cornetfish, probably because its habitat has been so little studied ^[2].

It seems to visit cooler waters farther north seasonally, which creates doubt about the northern limit of its range ^[2].

It is an egg-laying fish ^[1]. The eggs and larvae of Fistularia corneta, like those of other cornetfishes, are planktonic, so the life cycle includes a prolonged pelagic phase ^[2]. Descriptions of the larvae and early stages of this species exist ^[2].

It feeds on small fishes ^[1]. Very little else is known about its biology: the 2026 review found no data on population density, social groupings, or daily or seasonal movements, and no published length-weight relationship ^[2].

FishBase gives a maximum size of 106 cm total length, with a common length of 20 cm ^[1].

It is a predator of small fishes ^[1]. Its only documented predator is the yellow-bellied sea snake (Pelamis platurus) ^[2].

Brischoux and Lillywhite found one Fistularia corneta among the prey regurgitated by sea snakes captured in the Gulf of Papagayo, Costa Rica, in October 2010; the authors also cite earlier records of the species in the stomach contents of these snakes in Ecuador and Panama ^[4]. They note that relatively large fishes such as this cornetfish are only infrequently found in the snake's stomach ^[4].

The IUCN assessed the species in 2016 and listed it as Least Concern at the global level ^[3],[1]. All four species of the genus are currently in that category ^[2].

The 2026 review warns that data on survival, reproduction and population metrics for these fishes are extremely limited, and that there is no density information for Fistularia corneta ^[2]. The Least Concern category should therefore be read alongside that lack of data ^[2].

Not medical advice. For a sting, a poisoning or an allergy, seek medical care.

FishBase classifies it as harmless to humans ^[1].

It is caught in artisanal fisheries with various gear types ^[2]. It is sold fresh, salted, or dried and smoked, but is more often processed into fishmeal ^[1]. For Fistularia corneta the 2026 review records only its use as fishmeal ^[2].