Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus
Fiveline Cardinalfish
©Goran Nilsson: Fiveline Cardinalfish with isopods Anilocra apogonae attached at Lizard Island (aquarium photo)
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Actinopterygii
Order
Perciformes
Family
Apogonidae
Genus
Cheilodipterus
Species
Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus
Colours
Distinguishing features
A small greyish white fish with five dark horizontal stripes, a yellow patch near the tail, and a black blotch near the tail that aligns with the middle stripe. Distinguish from the Wolf Cardinalfish by the thicker black stripes. Usually seen in loose groups near branching coral.
Size
- Up to 12 cm (Standard length)
Depth range
- Depth range data is not yet available.
Synonyms
Similar taxa
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Areas of live branching coral (usually staghorn Acropora).
Found in most sheltered reef habitats around the island.
Behaviour
A nocturnal predator on crustacean zooplankton, these fish rest during the day close to the shelter of branching staghorn corals. They breed October - February, and the male fish hold the eggs in the mouth for 3-5 days until the larvae hatch. Cardinalfishes have very short lifespans, becoming mature at 1 year old and living for only 3-5 years.
Web resources
References
- Abdulla, A. (2004). Predator-prey interactions in coral reef fish: the implications of predation risk on the behaviour and growth of prey, Ph.D. thesis, James Cook University. LIRS catalog number 1296.
- Barnett, A. (2004). The trophic and reproductive implications of mouthbrooding in apogonid fishes, Honours thesis, James Cook University. LIRS catalog number 946.
- Barnett, A. and D.R. Bellwood (2005). Sexual dimorphism in the buccal cavity of paternal mouthbrooding cardinalfishes (Pisces: Apogonidae), Marine Biology, 148: 205-212. LIRS catalog number 1021.
- View all references