Have You Seen This Fish????

[lfsmarineguy]

Found this at the wholesaler yesterday. It was labeled as a Prehistoric Jawfish.... I looked through the Kuiter and Debelius book. It is not in there as far as I can tell. I checked under every group I could think of that it might fit into. The only thing I can tell from anatomical features is it is probably nocturnal and definitely carnivorous and eats either small inverts or fish judging from its garage door of a mouth. It looks like an arrowana hooked up with a squirrel fish and a knife fish along with a little saltwater betta for good measure.

If you know what it is or can get a proper ID you get a cookie.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

I would have thought it was a jawfish but its eyes are at the sides of its head instead of in front like all other jaws. looks more like a free swimmer than an ambush predator.

 

[autoponicz]

that things looks wierd.....front half is a squarrel fish and the back half is like a sardine.....is it missing a tailfin?

 

[prattreef]

I think it is in the Bandfish family--Try Acanthocepola or Cepola. I had one very similar a few months back and Jason just got in what I believe is the same species as yours. They dig in the sand and seem to refuse to eat. Good luck .

 

[Bob 1000]

Yes Micheal Stern has them.. They look nice... They are very different...

 

[coralite]

The only thing it resembles is a weird deepwater atlantic jawfish I used to get. I think it was called Lonchopisthus sp. Here is the pic of it. Looking at the shape of the head and the thin trailing pelvics I would say it is right on. The only thing that is off is your fish's apparent lack of a tail, which very possibly might have been damaged (removed) in collection or transport. It does look like the tail was damaged and growing back. That should help on the ID.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

I just got him yesterday. I tried mysis and some other stuff but he only showed vague interest in the mysis. He did not eat any though. Did not notice the tail damage until after I had picked him up. Thanks Randy I will try that name and see what I can come up with.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

Coralite I dont think this guy is a jaw though he does look a lot like them. The eyes are different and not placed in the same spot on the head. Jaws are more forward on the face and oriented towards the front. This guy has bigger eyes that are slighty farther back and placed more on the side of the head. The body is also more slender than a jaws.

 

[e.muehlbauer]

It looks like a Brotulid. I saw a yellow Brotula at H2O a few months ago....I don't think they are rare, but they are rare in the aquarium trade. I also think, but I'm not sure, that they are livebearers.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

Acanthocepola Indica seems to be what it is on other sites. Not much info just pics. Everyone has it grouped with their jaws though. The whole cepola family looks like Arrowanas.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

definitely not a brot. Brots have a completely different body type with tiny eyes. Same kind of fins but brots are much fatter and rounder all over.

 

[prattreef]

Acanthocepola Indica seems to be what it is on other sites. Not much info just pics. Everyone has it grouped with their jaws though. The whole cepola family looks like Arrowanas.

Yes I immediately though SW Arowanna when I saw mine. There is basically no info on these in captivity.

 

[prattreef]

http://www.meerwasser-lexikon.de/images/1831.jpg

 

[JasonE]

Jared,
these are Acanthocepola indica, coming out of Sri Lanka. The two I have seemed to have paired up and are feeding well. They dig pits in the sand, though research indicates they burrow like jaws. Got a different sp. in yesterday from Bali that was yellow and gold.
They come in stressed, with the end of the caudal eroded (continuously trying to bury in the shipping bag?) It seems to grow back in about a week. I had one several years ago, and it acted much like a jawfish.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

We were closed today but if he is still around tomorrow I might try some live feeders if I can get some. He did not seem stressed at all and didnt even bee line for the rocks. He just kind of cruised around for a few before finding a spot between the rock and the side glass he liked.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

Yeah all the info I got out of my guy was that it was from Sri lanka. The damage to the caudal makes sense now. What are your eating just out of curiosity? I do not want to feed live unless that is the only way to initiate a response.

 

[JasonE]

Pretty much anything that floats by, mysis cyclopeeze, brine.
Give him a nice sandy bed with lots of space. mine seem to like being right out in the open sand.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

he is in the 180 display reef. The sand varies from 2 inches up to maybe 5 in some places thanks to my pair of engineer gobies. Its funny one of the guys at the wholesaler uses Millenium or Prehistoric to name anything he cannot properly ID. I cant tell you how many Millenium Wrasses I have picked up over the years lol.