Species: Apogon maculatus, Flamefish, Flamefish Cardinalfish

Apogon maculatus (Poey, 1860)

Flamefish, Flamefish Cardinalfish

Body oblong, compressed; head large, snout short; eye large; moderately large oblique mouth that opens at the front; top jaw wide, partly concealed when mouth is closed, scaleless; jaws with bands of small teeth, no canines; front and sides of roof of mouth with a band of small teeth; preopercle serrated, lower membranous flap not extending beyond edge of preoperculum; 14 (13-16) lower gill rakers; dorsal fin VI + I, 9; anal fin II, 8; inner pelvic ray mostly not attached to body; pectoral 12; tail fin slightly concave; body scales rough; 3-8 scales on center of nape before dorsal fin; lateral line scales not enlarged; scales around tail base 17-20; lateral line complete, extends onto base of tail fin.

Head and body orange-red; a black stripe from snout through eye (where it is bordered above and below by thin silver stripes) to rear of operculum, where it is most intense; a round black spot under rear of 2nd dorsal fin; an indistinct broad dark bar across rear of tail base; these 3 areas of dark color may fade and be barely distinguishable; rear edges of soft dorsal, anal and tail fins may be black.

Reaches 11.1 cm.

Lives on reefs.

Depth: 1-128 m.

The Gulf of Mexico and SE Florida to the S Caribbean.

Note: records further north on the US coast are waifs. Its Brazilian sister species is A. americanus.