Cardinalfishes are a family, Apogonidae, of ray-finned fishes found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans; they are chiefly marine, but some species are found in brackish water and a few are found in fresh water. A handful of species are kept in aquariums and are popular as small, peaceful, and colourful fish. The family includes about 370 species.
Ostorhinchus fleurieu is a species of cardinalfish native to the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the waters around East Africa, Seychelles, India, Sri Lanka, the Indo-Malayan region, and Hong Kong., south to the Ashmore Reef, Western Australia. It is the type species of the genus Ostorhinchus. The specific name honours the French explorer and hydrographer Charles Pierre Claret, comte de Fleurieu (1738-1810) who was a colleague and friend of Lacepède's.
Apogon is a large genus of fish in the family Apogonidae, the cardinalfishes. They are among the most common fish on coral reefs. Over 200 species have been classified in genus Apogon as members of several subgenera. Some of these subgenera, such as Ostorhinchus, have been elevated to genus status, leaving just over 50 species in the genus.
The ring-tailed cardinalfish is a widespread fish species in the family Apogonidae found in the Red Sea and off East Africa to Papua New Guinea, north to Japan, and south to Australia.
Apogon maculatus, commonly known as flamefish, is a species of cardinalfish from the western Atlantic. Apogon maculatus is a nocturnal fish, and it usually hides in shadowy areas. This fish can be viewed with a red light in a dark room if needed to. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade because of its uniqueness. In captivity the fish's color tends to fade unless fed color enhancing vitamins. It grows to a size of 11 centimetres (4.3 in) in length. This fish can be aggressive towards other cardinalfish. Only one should be kept in a tank unless in mated pairs, or two can be placed in a 55 imperial gallons (250 L) or larger tank. Otherwise it does well with peaceful tank mates as long as it has caves and places to hide. The ideal water conditions are temperatures of 72–78 °F (22–26 °C), with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4, sg 1.020–1.025, and dKH at 8 to 12.
Ostorhinchus cyanosoma, commonly known as the yellow-striped cardinalfish, goldenstriped cardinalfish, or the orange-lined cardinalfish, is a species of marine fish in the cardinalfish family of order Perciformes. It is native to the Indo-West Pacific.
Ostorhinchus compressus, commonly called the ochre-striped cardinalfish, blue-eyed cardinalfish or split banded cardinalfish, is a marine cardinalfish from the Indo-West Pacific from the family Apogonidae. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 12 cm in length.
Apogon imberbis, the cardinalfish, the Mediterranean cardinalfish or king of the mullets, is a species of ray-finned fish, a cardinalfish belonging to the family Apogonidae. It is widely distributed in the Mediterranean and along the warm temperate and tropical eastern Atlantic coasts from Portugal south to the Gulf of Guinea.
The twospot cardinalfish is a species of fish in the family Apogonidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean from southern Georgia to Sao Paulo, Brazil. A lionfish caught off Onslow Bay, North Carolina had a twospot cardinalfish in its gut contents and records from as far north as New England are most likely to be vagrants. It is also found in the eastern Atlantic from the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea and Ascension Island. It is common on hard or semi-hard substrates of the continental shelf such as in harbours, around pilings and over sea walls and offshore to the outer reefs. It is a mouthbrooder. It is active at night and feeds on plankton.
The belted cardinalfish is a tropical marine fish in the genus Apogon. They grow up to 6.5 centimetres (2.6 in) in length. Belted cardinalfish are found in the waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, off Central and South America, inhabiting caves and holes. They are pinkish-red on the dorsal side and yellowish-red on the ventral side. Their eggs are carried in the mouth of the adult as they mature.
Apogon semiornatus, the oblique-banded cardinalfish, is a translucent fish with one main stripe and little to no smaller stripes; stripe-free individuals have also been found. This fish lives in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean, in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Oman, east to Australia, north to Japan, south to Natal, and in the waters around South Africa. This fish naturally lives in rocky and rubble reefs and displays secretive behavior by preferring to remain under pieces of material or in the back of low caves. These fish can live alone but are sometimes found in small groups.
Ostorhinchus neotes, the mini cardinalfish, is a species of ray-finned fish, a cardinalfish, from the family Apogonidae. It is found in the western central Pacific Ocean from the Philippines south to Australia and has been reported from Tonga. It is a small cardinalfish with a small semi-transparent body which has a black stripe along its flanks underneath the skin, and a large, black spot at the base of the caudal fin. It occurs in lagoons and outer reefs where the water is relatively clear and normally where there are soft corals or gorgonian fans. It forms small schools, but mates in couples and the male mouth broods the eggs. It shelters in crevices in the reef.
Ostorhinchus sealei, Seale's cardinalfish or the cheek-barred cardinalfish, is a species of ray-finned fish, a cardinalfish, from the family Apogonidae. It is an Indo-Pacific species which ranges from Malaysia east to the Solomon Islands, north to southern Japan and south to northwestern Australia, as well as Palau in Micronesia. It is an uncommon species which occurs among branching corals in the sheltered lagoons protected by reefs. It can be found in small to large aggregations low in the water over the reef. It is infrequent below depths of 10 metres (33 ft). They are mouthbrooders which form pairs to mate. During the day these fish shelter in the reef and they emerge at night to feed on zooplankton and benthic invertebrates. The specific name honours the American ichthyologist Alvin Seale (1871–1958).
Apogonichthyoides is a genus of fish in the family Apogonidae, the cardinalfishes. They are native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.
Ozichthys is a monotypic genus of cardinalfish, which was named and characterized in 2014. Its sole species, Ozichthys albimaculosus, is found in tropical Australia and southern New Guinea.
The bigtooth cardinalfish or longtooth cardinalfish is a species of marine fish in the family Apogonidae and the only member of its genus. The bigtooth cardinalfish lives in the west-central Atlantic, off southern Florida, United States, and from the Bahamas to Venezuela, and as far south as Suriname. This species also is found in the east-central Atlantic and the Gulf of Guinea, and has been reported as far as Cape Verde. It is a pale orangeish colour.
Ostorhinchus doederleini is a species of fish in the cardinalfish family, also known by the common names Doederlein's cardinalfish and fourline cardinalfish. In Japanese it is called osuji-ishimochi. It is native to subtropical regions of the western Pacific Ocean, its distribution extending from Japan to Taiwan and Australia to New Caledonia and the Kermadec Islands.
Apogon erythrinus, also called Hawaiian ruby cardinalfish, is a marine fish species endemic to Hawaii. It belongs to the family Apogonidae and the subfamily Apogoninae.
