Name: Cardinalfish
Scientific Name: Apogon imberbis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Apogonidae
Group: Bony fish
Class: Fish
Size: 11-25 cm.
The cardinalfish is a nocturnal fish, which spends the day hidden in the holes and recesses of rocks. At night it goes out to feed on small fish and invertebrates. The males are zealous parents and after fertilisation (which is internal), they incubate the eggs inside the mouth until hatching. Throughout this period, they do not eat. They live at depths of nearly 30 m, but it is thought that they spend the winter in even deeper waters.
Photo by:
Peter Wirtz (www.horta.uac.pt)
Oceanário Location
Azores
