Species: Astrapogon puncticulatus, Blackfin cardinalfish
pelvics reach to/past center A base
Astrapogon puncticulatus (Poey, 1867)
Blackfin cardinalfish
Body oblong, compressed, relatively deep head large, snout short, head profile rounded above eye; rear nostril vertically elongated; eye large; moderately large oblique mouth that opens at the front; top jaw wide, partly concealed when mouth is closed, scaleless; teeth small, usually present on center and sides of roof of mouth; preopercle edge smooth; 2+12-14 gill rakers; dorsal fin VI +I, 9; anal fin II, 8; pectoral fin rays 16 (rarely 15 or 17); inner pelvic ray mostly not attached to body; pelvics large, reaching to or past middle of anal fin; tail fin bluntly straight to slightly convex; lateral line complete; 23-45 pored lateral line scales; lateral line complete, extends onto base of tail fin; body scales smooth; no row of scales on nape centerline before dorsal fin.
Head and body bronze with dark lines and blotches radiating back from eye; pelvics dark grey to black; body and remaining fins heavily stippled with black dots; front and tip of 1st dorsal blackish; rear edges of 2nd dorsal and anal fins & tips of caudal fin clear to whitish.
Reaches 10 cm.
Found in seagrass beds, often in dead (but not in live) conchs.
Depth range: 1-57 m.
Bermuda to Brazil.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Submerged vegetation
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species.
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- All species..
- Also in Brazil
- GC non-endemic
- Continent
- Extends South of GC
- Island (s)
- Continent + Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 10
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 57
