Scientific Name
Apogon aureus

Common Name
Ring-tailed cardinalfish

Biology
Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 8; Vertebrae: 14. Color in life coppery with iridescence, paler posteriorly; a blackish stripe, bordered by a blue line, running from front of snout through eye and beyond; a narrow blue streak on maxilla. Large and oblique mouth; median predorsal scales 5; preopercular ridge smooth with posterior and most of ventral margin serrate. Black bar encircling caudal peduncle present in both young and adult phases.

Classification

Classified By

Lacep?de, 1802

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Perch-like fish (Perciformes)

Family

Cardinalfishes (Apogonidae)

Distribution

Region

Indo-West Pacific

Distribution

Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Papua New Guinea, north to Miyakejima, Japan (Ref. 559), south to Australia and New Caledonia (Ref. 2142).

Range

30°N - 30°S

Environment

Climate

Tropical

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

1 m

Depth To - meters

40 m

Zone

reef-associated

Environment

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 40 m (Ref. 9710)

Trophic Level

3.5 s.e. 0.50 Based on food items.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

False

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

True

Is kept in Aquariums

True

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

14.5 cm

Common Length

Unknown cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial

Vulnerability

Low vulnerability (13 of 100)

Resilience

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Not Evaluated