Scientific Name
Stephanolepis hispidus

Common Name
Planehead filefish

Biology
Found on sand or mud bottoms. Associated with Sargassum (Ref. 26340). Adults feed on benthic invertebrates (Ref. 5377). Edible but generally rejected by fishers (Ref. 5377).

Classification

Classified By

Linnaeus, 1766

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Puffers and Filefishes (Tetraodontiformes)

Family

Filefishes (Monacanthidae)

Distribution

Region

Western Atlantic

Distribution

Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia (Canada), Bermuda, and northern Gulf of Mexico to Uruguay (Ref. 47377). Eastern Atlantic: Canary Islands to Angola (Ref. 3592).

Range

Unknown

Environment

Climate

Subtropical

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

0 m

Depth To - meters

293 m

Zone

reef-associated

Environment

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 293 m (Ref. 5951)

Trophic Level

2.17 s.e. 0.10 Based on diet studies.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

False

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

True

Is kept in Aquariums

True

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

27.5 cm

Common Length

Unknown cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5312 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; aquarium: commercial

Vulnerability

Low to moderate vulnerability (29 of 100)

Resilience

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.37;)

Threat To Humans

Reports of ciguatera poisoning (Ref. 30911)

IUCN Red List Status

Not Evaluated