Photo by Adriaan Johnson	File fishes. File fishes, family Monacanthidae, are related somewhat to trigger fishes. Both families have a dorsal spine which can be locked into place, for wedging into crevices and to serve as a deterrent to predators. What species this specific individual is we do not know yet, but it seems to be a mid-size juvenile given its size. The juveniles of file fishes often differ from adults in pattern and colour, and can vary from day to night, making identification dificult. What is certain is that it is not a resident species. Guido has seen one in the Atlantic many years ago, so occasionally they are swept in by some or other current. In Coastal Fishes of Southern Africa, Heemstra and Heemstra describe that the porky Stephanolepis auratus reaches False Bay, but all images show a much more mottled fish than this one, although they do share the hump at the front of the (rayed) dorsal fin, a feature none of the other southern Africa file fishes share, or at least, not so pronounced. Dr. Phil Heemsta, of SAIAB, confirmed that this is indeed the young of the porky Stephanolepis auratus, although more smoothly coloured than normal.
References: Thanks to Dr. Phil Heemstra (SAIAB) for information. Smiths' Sea Fishes, MM Smith and PC Heemstra, 1986. Coastal Fishes of Southern Africa, PC Heemsta and E Heemstra, 2004.
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