WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Ring-tailed Cardinalfish

Ostorhinchus aureus

Also known as: Elliot's Cardinalfish, Golden Cardinalfish, Nurseryfish, Ringtail Cardinal, Ringtail Cardinalfish

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2022
Adult
@pcamanho · Mabul, Malaysia · April 20141 / 18
01

Overview

Found in schools, during the day hiding in coral and rock holes, or under ledges, dispersing at night hunting for food, over coral and rocky reefs. Forming mixed schools during summer and autumn.
They feed nocturnally on benthic and planktonic crustaceans.

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.

02

How to identify

Pattern
blue bands

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Indo-West Pacific
  • Exact location · 7
  • Country only · 11
LIVES IN

Found in schools, during the day hiding in coral and rock holes, or under ledges, dispersing at night hunting for food, over coral and rocky reefs.

04

Adult photos 18

05

Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumChordata
    3. classTeleostei
    4. orderApogoniformes
    5. familyApogonidae
    6. genusOstorhinchus
    7. speciesOstorhinchus aureus (Lacepède, 1802)

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Cardinalfishes (Apogonidae)