A large flat fish that hangs head-down and drifts like a piece of debris.
Size
To 100 cm
Depth
2–45 m
Habitat
Reef slopes, rubble and open water
Active
Daylight
Range
Indo-Pacific
Rarity
Lembeh Strait
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
SP-01
scribbled filefish · full body · habitat
4:3 · min 2400px
To about 100 cm, olive to grey-brown with irregular blue lines and black dots scattered
over the body, a long broom-like tail and a small mouth at the end of a drawn-out snout.
It can pale or darken markedly and often carries a mottled pattern that matches whatever
it is drifting beside.
It feeds on seagrass, algae, hydroids, gorgonians and tunicates, and adopts a head-down
posture when at rest or when approached, which combined with the mottling makes it read as
a piece of floating debris. Juveniles associate with drifting weed in open water. It
drifts away steadily rather than fleeing, so a slow parallel approach usually holds it for
a frame or two. Recorded from about 2 to 45 m.
Where to find:
LocationRarityBest monthsDepthHabitat
Lembeh StraitIndonesiaeditorial estimate
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
Year-round
2–45 m
Reef slopes, rubble and open water
BaliIndonesiaeditorial estimate
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
Year-round
2–45 m
Reef slopes and drop-offs
AnilaoPhilippineseditorial estimate
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
Year-round
2–45 m
Reef slopes and rubble
Dauin & DumaguetePhilippineseditorial estimate
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
Year-round
2–40 m
Reef edges and rubble
Papua New GuineaPapua New Guineaeditorial estimate
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
Year-round
2–45 m
Coral reef and slopes
Islas RevillagigedoMexicoeditorial estimate
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
Year-round
5–35 m
Rock and open water above it
FloridaUnited Stateseditorial estimate
3 stars of 5, a good week should turn one up
Year-round
3–30 m
Reef and gorgonians
BahamasBahamaseditorial estimate
3 stars of 5, a good week should turn one up
Year-round
3–30 m
Reef and gorgonians
Cayman IslandsCayman Islandseditorial estimate
3 stars of 5, a good week should turn one up
Year-round
3–30 m
Reef and gorgonians
Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it,
5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated
from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and
destination, not the dive site.
