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| fishes text index | photo index |
| Phylum Chordata > Subphylum Vertebrate > fishes |
| Cardinalfishes Family Apogonidae updated Jun 08
Where seen? These big-eyed fishes are commonly seen on many of our shores. They are small and often well hidden in pools. They swim about more actively at night than during the day. What are cardinalfishes? Cardinalfishes belong to Family Apogonidae. According to FishBase, the family has 22 genera and 207 species, most below 10cm, seldom larger than 20cm. They are found in all the oceans including some freshwater species in tropical Pacific Islands. Most species are reef-dwellers. Features: 3-5cm. These small fishes have elongated bodies and large eyes, a large mouth and large scales. They have angular dorsal fins that are separated into two parts. Cardinalfish are often handsomely patterned in stripes or spots. Their common name comes from the red colour of many of the species, although they come in all colours from yellow to brown and blue. Often found in small groups, sheltering among the seagrasses or other hiding places during the day. What do they eat? As a group they eat a wide variety from small fishes, crabs, prawns and other tiny animals including plankton. Most are more active at night. |
 Sometimes found in groups. Pulau Hantu, Nov 03  They are mouth brooders. Chek Jawa, Jul 05 |
They have large eyes, mouth and scales. Some are colourful.| Cardinalfish
babies:
Cardinalfishes are mouth brooders. The fertilised egg mass is kept
in the mouth until they hatch in several days' time. Usually it is
the male that undertakes this task, but in some species both the male
and female do this. Human uses: Some species of cardinalfish like the Five-lined Cardinalfish (Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus) and Orbicular cardinalfish (Sphaemaria orbicularis) are popular in the live aquarium trade. Some are being successfuly bred in captivity. Status and threats: The Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) is found only in the Banggai Islands of Sulawesi. These fishes are popular in the live aquarium trade and are thus taken from the wild in unsustainable numbers. This is despite success in captive breeding, which apparently cannot keep up with demand. The Banggai cardinalfish's mouthbrooding habit means they naturally produce fewer young. None of our cardinalfishes are listed among the threatened animals of Singapore. However, like other creatures of the intertidal zone, they are affected by human activities such as reclamation and pollution. Over-collection can also have an impact on local populations. |
Cardinalfishes on Singapore shores
| Family
Apogonidae recorded for Singapore from Wee Y.C. and Peter K. L. Ng. 1994. A First Look at Biodiversity in Singapore.
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Links
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Periplus Editions. 292 pp.|
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