Species: Plectrypops retrospinis, Cardinal Soldierfish, Shy Soldierfish

Plectrypops retrospinis (Guichenot, 1853)

Cardinal Soldierfish, Shy Soldierfish

Body ovate, deep; snout moderately pointed with relatively long straight forehead; groove on center of forehead an elongate rhomboid; eye large, at upper margin of head; mouth moderately large, slightly oblique; edge of bone under eye with small, slender, curved, partly forward-pointing spines; no large spines at corner of operculum or preoperculum; dorsal with XII spines, last spine shorter than spine before it, divided to base between 11th and 12th spines; anal with IV spines, none extremely long or thick, 11 rays; pelvics I, 7; tail fin small, forked, with strongly rounded lobes; scales very rough; lateral-line scales 32-42.

Uniform bright red, fins paler.

Size: grows to 15 cm.

Habitat: a seldom seen fish that hides in caves and crevices during the day.

Depth: 2-238 m.

Bermuda to Brazil.