Belted Cardinalfish

Found singly, pairs, or in small schools, during the day in caves and holes of the reef, or sheltering in the spines of long-spined sea urchins, dispersing at night to feed.
They feed nocturnally on zooplankton.

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.