Description

Also known as Bargill Cardinalfish, Cheekbar Cardinalfish, Cheek-barred Cardinalfish, Nurseryfish.

Found in small too large schools, during the day hiding in the arms of branching corals, dispersing at night, hunting for food over shallow, sheltered, lagoon reefs.
They feed nocturnally on crustaceans, small fish, and zooplankton.
Length - 10cm
Depth - 3-25m
Widespread Indo-Pacific

Males incubate their eggs inside their mouths, as the egg masses increase in size they can be found with wide open mouths where they shift the eggs around to aerate the egg masses. Ref: https://www.fishbase.se/summary/6230