Banggai cardinalfish
Pterapogon kauderni
- Scientific name
- Pterapogon kauderni
- Group
- Reef fish
- Rarity
- Epic
- Where to see it
- Indo-Pacific & Red Sea
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Endangered
Did you know?
The Banggai cardinalfish lives only around a small Indonesian archipelago and practices mouthbrooding: the male keeps the eggs, then the hatchlings, in his mouth until they're big enough to fend for themselves. Its tiny natural range and popularity in the aquarium trade have made it an endangered species.
What defines this group — Reef fish
The bony fish that live against coral and rock: the living backdrop of almost every dive.
- A bony skeleton, scales, and a rigid gill cover closing over the gills.
- A swim bladder acts as a float: they hold their depth without swimming.
- Many change colour, pattern — sometimes even sex — over the course of their life.
Other species in this group
- Ocellaris clownfish
- Blue tang
- Red lionfish
- Spot-fin porcupinefish
- Mediterranean moray
- Clark's anemonefish