THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

Distribution: Western Pacific: Malaysia north
to southern Japan, south to Australia; Palau.
Habitat: Found under ledges and among
branching corals of sheltered reef lagoons;
mostly to depths less than 10 m.
Appearance: Tan with thin mid-lateral stripe and
small dark spot on tail. Max. length: 10 cm.
Diet: Small fishes and zoobenthos,
including benthic crustaceans and mobile
invertebrates.
Reproduction and Development: Males are
mouth-brooders.
Dog-toothed Cardinalfish
Cheilodipterus isostigmus (Apogonidae)
Cardinalfishes
Distribution: Western Pacific: patchy
distribution including South China Sea,
Philippines, Borneo, Papua New Guinea.
Habitat: Occurs in lagoon reefs to depths of
12 m, usually in small groups among staghorn
corals.
Appearance: Silvery body with black lateral
stripes. Caudal peduncal yellow with black
spot. Canine teeth at front of lower jaw. Max.
length: 11 cm.
Diet: Small benthic organisms, invertebrates,
and fishes. Like all apogonids, are paternal
mouthbrooders; distinct pairing takes place
during courtship and spawning.
Banggai Cardinalfish
Pterapogon kauderni (Apogonidae)
Cardinalfishes
Distribution: Apparently endemic to Banggai
Islands, east of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia.
Habitat: Silty sand bottoms with seagrass.
Often associated with Diadema setosum, the
long-spined sea urchin. Adult banggais
hover directly above the urchins, younger
cardinalfish stay even closer to the urchins.
All retreat among the spines when threatened.
Appearance: Length to 8 cm. Tasseled first
dorsal fin, elongate anal and second dorsal
fin rays, deeply forked caudal fin and striking
color pattern. Light brown to off-white body
with three bold vertical, black bands, including
one that transverses the eyes. Tiny white flecks
on fins and posterior of body.
Diet: Probably small benthic and planktonic
California Academy of Sciences
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crustaceans preyed upon nocturnally.
Reproduction and Development: The large eggs
are about 2.5 mm in diameter. Males mouth brood
up to 40 eggs. Retain the fry in the mouth after
hatching. Tiny, fully formed juveniles are released
after a month of mouth brooding.
Conservation status: The fragmentation of
their habitat, their limited distribution, and
over-collecting by the aquarium trade have
put this fish at risk, and in 2007 it was listed as
Endangered by CITES. The species is not yet
on the IUCN Red List.
Various aquaria, including the Steinhart, are
monitoring the trade impact upon Banggai cardinalfish.
Captive breeding programs are in place
to curtail the need for wild caught individuals.
Remarks: Mouth brooding is very unusual in
marine fish.
Pajama Cardinalfish
Sphaeramia nematoptera (Apogonidae)
Cardinalfishes
Distribution: Indian and western Pacific
oceans.
Habitat: Often found in reef areas of bays and
lagoons along with other members of their species,
sheltered among branches of Porites spp.
Appearance: Head yellow; wide black band
encircling central body, and spots on the back
half of the body. Eyes large and red.
Diet: Small fish and crustaceans. At night,
leaves the protection of coral shelter to feed
along the bottom at about 15 m.
Reproduction and Development: Sexes separate;
exhibit distinct pairing during courtship and
spawning. The male incubates eggs in his mouth,
protecting them from predators.
Remarks: Note the large eyes, a common
feature of nocturnal fishes that allows them to
gather low light images.
Ocean Whitefish
Caulolatilus princeps (Malacanthidae)
Tilefishes
Distribution: British Columbia to Peru,
including the Galapagos Islands.
Appearance: Yellowish brown above and
lighter below with a yellow tail. Dorsal and
anal fins are long with blue and yellow stripes.
Length: 55–102 cm; weight: to 3.2 g.
Habitat: Offshore rocky reefs, depths to 10–90