Blackspot Tuskfish

The blackspot tuskfish (Choerodon schoenleinii) is a wrasse native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean from Mauritius to Indonesia and Australia north to the Ryukyu Islands. This species occurs on reefs, preferring areas with sandy substrates or areas of weed growth. It can be found at depths from 10 to 60 m (33 to 197 ft), though rarely deeper than 20 m (66 ft). It can reach 100 cm (39 in) in TL, and the greatest published weight for this species is 15.5 kg (34 lb). It is important to local commercial fisheries and is also farmed. It is popular as a game fish, in particular with spearfishers, and can be found in the aquarium trade. In Hong Kong, its Cantonese name, tsing yi (Cantonese:青衣), has been given to an island (see Tsing Yi).

Etymology

The fish is named in honor of Johann Lucas Schönlein (1793-1864), the German naturalist and professor of medicine.

Documentation of tool use

In July 2011, a professional diver photographed a blackspot tuskfish bashing a clam on a rock to break the shell, apparently a use of the rock as a tool, the first documented example of tool use in wild fish.