Singapore Cardinalfish

Appearance

Size: 7 inches (18 cm). Has elongated whitish body with several dark brown stripes from the snout lengthwise. It has a small black spot at mid-tail base and a small white spot below last dorsal fin ray.

Naming

Also known as Truncated Cardinalfish.
Parent
Cheilodipterus Lacepède, 1801
Orig. name
Cheilodipterus singapurensis Bleeker, 1860
Synonymised names
Cheilodipterus pseudosubulatus Hardenberg, 1948
Cheilodipterus truncatus Günther, 1873

Distribution

Indo-West Pacific: Philippines, East Indies, Palau, Caroline Islands, Marshall Islands, and Rowley Shoals off northwestern Australia. Also reported from New Caledonia.

Status

Least Concern, IUCN.

Habitat

Natural Environment: Inhabits coastal reef areas, and found in crevices or under plate corals, boulders, and soft corals during the day. Usually found at depths between 6 – 30 feet (2 – 10 m).

Food

It feeds on small fishes and crustaceans/zooplankton during evening hours.

Uses

General Husbandry: As of 2016, not collected for the trade.