Mimic File Fish (Paraluteres prionurus) - (No Online Purchases)

Mimic File Fish (Paraluteres prionurus)

The Mimic Filefish (Paraluteres prionurus), also known as the Blacksaddle Filefish or False Puffer, is a fascinating marine fish famous for its defensive mimicry.

Key Characteristics and Mimicry
Mimicry: This species exhibits a classic example of Batesian mimicry. It has evolved to closely resemble the highly poisonous Blacksaddle Toby (Canthigaster valentini), a species of pufferfish. By imitating the appearance and swimming behaviour of the toxic puffer, the palatable filefish deters potential predators who have learned to avoid the poisonous model.

They are often found swimming alongside their model, the Blacksaddle Toby.

Appearance: They have a whitish-grey body with distinctive black "saddle-like" bars or spots on the back and mid-body. They typically have a yellow tail.

Size:They reach a maximum size of about 4 inches (10-11 cm).

Identification vs. Puffer: While visually similar, you can distinguish the Mimic Filefish from the Puffer by:

The filefish has an erectile dorsal spine (the "file") located just behind the eyes.

The filefish's dorsal and anal fins are more elongate and start closer to the head, whereas the puffer's small fins are positioned farther back toward the tail.

Habitat and Diet
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific, ranging from the Red Sea and East Africa, east to Fiji, north to Japan, and south to the Great Barrier Reef.

Natural Habitat: They inhabit coral reefs and seagrass beds in shallow, protected lagoons and seaward reefs, typically at depths of 1 to 25 meters.

Diet in the Wild: They are primarily carnivorous/omnivorous, feeding on small benthic invertebrates (like copepods and amphipods) and some filamentous algae.

Aquarium Care and Compatibility
The Mimic Filefish is generally considered to be of moderate to difficult care level, mainly due to its specific dietary requirements and need for excellent water quality.

Minimum Tank Size:30–45 gallons (approx. 115–170 liters) or larger.

Temperament: Generally peaceful towards other fish, but may show aggression towards other filefish unless a mated pair is acquired. They are slow-moving and shy, requiring peaceful tankmates.

Water Parameters:

Temperature:(24 ∘C−28 ∘C)

pH: 8.1 - 8.4

Salinity/Specific Gravity (SG): 1.020 - 1.025

Feeding: They need a varied diet of high-quality, finely chopped meaty foods, as they have small mouths for picking food from crevices.

Feed small amounts 2-3 times per day.

Ideal foods include mysis shrimp, enriched brine shrimp, finely chopped squid, clams, scallops, and marine algae (like nori).

They may be difficult to acclimate to prepared foods initially; live foods might be necessary to encourage feeding.

Reef Compatibility: Not generally considered reef-safe. While some keepers have success, they are known to nip at or consume soft corals, large polyp stony (LPS) corals, and smaller invertebrates such as shrimp, snails, and crabs. They are best kept in a fish-only or fish-only-with-live-rock aquarium.