Chaetodipterus faber

(Broussonet, 1782)

Atlantic Spadefish

Range: Western Atlantic: Massachusetts, USA and northern Gulf of Mexico to Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Size: 35 inches (90 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits shallow coastal waters, from mangroves and sandy beaches to wrecks and harbors and often found at depths between 10 – 100 feet (3 – 30 m) where it feeds on benthic invertebrates like crustaceans, mollusks, annelids, cnidarians as well as on plankton. Occurs in large schools, sometimes up to 500 specimens.

General Husbandry: Not collected for the trade.

Taxonomy:

Order: Perciformes

Suborder: Acanthuroidei

Family: Ephippidae

Genus: Chaetodipterus

FYI: Shown here for identification only.

Has been reared in captivity.

Human food fish in local areas.

Unsuitable for home aquariums because of its size.

Often seen in public aquariums.