Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system

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Species: Astrapogon stellatus, Conchfish, Conchfish Cardinalfish

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elongate, long snout, profile over eye straight
pelvics reach rear 1/3 A base
gill rakers 1+10-11
pectoral 15

Astrapogon stellatus (Cope, 1867)

Conchfish, Conchfish Cardinalfish

Body oblong, relatively elongate, compressed; head large, snout relatively long; head profile over eye straight; rear nostril round; 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; 1+11 (10-11) gill rakers; dorsal fin VI +I, 9; anal fin II, 8; pectoral fin rays 15 (rarely 14 or 16); inner pelvic ray mostly not attached to body; pelvics large, reaching to rear 1/3 of anal fin; tail fin bluntly straight to slightly convex; 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 to black, with dark lines and blotches radiating from back from eye; body heavily stippled with black dots, with a row of black dots along mid-side; fins stippled with black, pelvics blackish; rear edges of 2nd dorsal, tail and anal fins dark.

Reaches 8 cm.

Found in seagrass beds, in tube sponges & in the mantle cavity of live conchs.

Depth range: 0-40 m.

Bermuda to Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Submerged vegetation
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Brooded
  • Data
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Data deficient
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 8
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 40