Common Name: Beaked Leatherjacket

Distribution: Uncommon in Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region: from East Africa to Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to the southern Great Barrier Reef in Australia. In Australia recorded from Shark Bay in Western Australia, across the tropical north, the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, south to northern New South Wales and including Lord Howe Island.

Ecological Notes: Frequents clear lagoon and offshore coral reefs where it feeds exclusively on Acropora sp. polyps. Depth to 35 m.

Additional Notes: Long snout and yellow spots forming stripes along sides, black tip on tail. Frequently seen in pairs amongst branching coral. Grows to 12 cm.

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.453.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=oxymonacanthus+longirostris. Accessed 20/06/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/Oxymonacanthus-longirostris.html. Accessed 20/06/18.