Subfamily APOGONINAE
Supramaxilla present or absent; 10+ 14 vertebrae (10+ 15
in Vincentia); 4 genera with species having light organs; oral
brooding has been reported for a number of species. About
10 genera and 42 species in our area. The monotypic genus
Neamia is not yet known from our area, but it probably
occurs here and is thus included.
KEY TO GENERA
1a Silvery (in live fish) dark-striped light organ
under P base and along ventral side of body from
isthmus to C peduncle; 1st D spines 6-7; A II,7-1O;
scales cycloid to weakly ctenoid ................................. Siphamia
Ib No light organ as above; 1st D spines 6-8; A II,8-18 ................. 2
2a First D spines 6; A n,8-18 .................................................. 3
2b First D spines 7; A II ,8-11 .................................................. 7
2c First D spines 8; A n,8; Prays 18 ................................ Neamia
3a Longest procurrent C ray spiny (unsegmented);
A 11,9; palatine teeth present; preopercle edge
serrated ............................................................ Sphaeramia
3b Longest procurrent C rays segmented ................................... 4
4a Preopercle edge smooth; A II,9 or n,12-13; scales
cycloid to weakly ctenoid; large canines absent
(some teeth may be slightly enlarged) ...................... Rhabdamia
(subgenera Rhabdamia and Verulux)
4b Preopercle edge usually serrate; scales usually
ctenoid; A 11,8-18; large canine teeth present
or absent ........................................................................ S
Sa Canine teeth and supramaxilla absent ................................... 6
Sb Canine teeth and supramaxilla present ................. Cheilodipterus
6a A n,12-18 ........................................................... Archamia
6b A n,8-9 ......................................... Apogon (most subgenera)
7a A II,lO-l1; soft Drays 10-11; preopercle
edge smooth .................. Rhabdamia (subgenus Bentuviaichthys)
7b A n,8-9; soft Drays 9; preopercle edge serrate or
smooth .......................................................................... 8
8a LL complete .................................................................. 10
8b LL incomplete; preopercle edge smooth .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. ...... .. .. ... 9
9a Palatine teeth present .................................................... Foa
9b Palatine teeth absent ............................................... Fowleria
lOa Preopercle edge smooth; palatine teeth absent;
supramaxilla present; C rounded ....................... Apogonichthys
lOb Preopercie edge serrate; palatine teeth usually
present; supramaxilla absent; C emarginate .................. Apogon
(subgenera Nectamia, Lepidamia and Pristiapogon)
Genus Apogon Lacepede, 1802
Body oblong and compressed; head large, snout short;
eye large; 6-7 spines in 1st D; D and A last ray sometimes
split to base; LL complete with 23-45 pored scales, the last
2-4 scales on C, usually smaller than body scales; body
175: APOGONIDAE (CARDINAL FISHES)
scales ctenoid; villiform teeth on jaws, vomer, and usually
on palatines; preopercle ridge smooth (serrate in Pristiapogon); canine teeth absent; C usually emarginate.
A large, varied group of small, colourful fish that inhabit
shallow water, mostly coral reefs. Fraser (1972) recognised
10 subgenera within this, the largest genus in the family;
about 29 species in our area. A kiensis andA. fragilis are not
known from our area, but they probably occur here.
KEY TO SPECIES
la First D spines 6
Ib First D spines 7
............................................................... 2
9
2a Total GR 20 or more ........................................................ 4
2b Less than 20 GR .............................................................. 3
3a Total GR 14-17; colour uniform scarlet without dark
stripes; P 13-14 .................................... A. (Apogon) coccineus
3b Total GR 12-16; 3 dark stripes on body: upper and
middle horizontal, lower diagonal from eye to
A base; P 12 .................................... A. (Apogon) semiornatus
4a Total GR 20-2S ............................................................... S
4b Total GR 26-30 ............................................................... 7
Sa 1-3 horizontal stripes on body; caudal spot
present or absent ............................................................. 6
Sb A short dark stripe from snout through eye to angle
of opercie; small caudal spot present ....... A. (Nectamia) thermalis
6a Upper part of body with 2-3 stripes, the lower 1
from snout to tip of mid C rays; caudal spot
absent ............................................... [A. (Nectamia) kiensis)
6b One narrow stripe along centre of body from
angle of opercle to C base; small caudal spot
present ............................................... A. (Nectamia) lateralis
7a AII,9-1O;2ndDrays9 ..................................................... 8
7b A II,8; 2nd Drays 8; V black ................... A. (Nectamia) nigripes
8a Second to 4th D spines ending with filaments, the
2nd spine longest; caudal spot absent; few orange
to brown spots on cheek; 3 vertical orange bars
behind eye ..................................... A. (Zoramia) leptacanthus
8b D spines not filamentous; small caudal spot
present; a dark stripe from snout to rear margin
of eye ................................................. [A. (Zoramia) tragi/is)
9a Preopercie ridge serrated; suborbitals with spines .................. 10
9b Preopercie ridge smooth; suborbitals without spines ............... 11
lOa Dark stripe along body narrowing toward tail;
LL covered by lower part of caudal spot;
P 14 ............................................. A. (Pristiapogon) traenatus
lOb Dark stripe more or less same width from snout to
caudal spot; caudal spot above LL merely
touching but not covering it; P 13 .... A. (Pristiapogon) kallopterus
lla Two or more horizontal stripes or lines along
side of body; caudal spot present or absent ........................... 12
lIb No horizontal stripes on body; caudal spot (or band)
present or absent ............................................................ 18
12a Body orange; horizontal stripes orange to dusky
but never dark; caudal spot absent ...................................... 13
12b Stripes dark brown to black; caudal spot usually
present ......................................................................... 14
547
Supramaxilla present or absent; 10+ 14 vertebrae (10+ 15
in Vincentia); 4 genera with species having light organs; oral
brooding has been reported for a number of species. About
10 genera and 42 species in our area. The monotypic genus
Neamia is not yet known from our area, but it probably
occurs here and is thus included.
KEY TO GENERA
1a Silvery (in live fish) dark-striped light organ
under P base and along ventral side of body from
isthmus to C peduncle; 1st D spines 6-7; A II,7-1O;
scales cycloid to weakly ctenoid ................................. Siphamia
Ib No light organ as above; 1st D spines 6-8; A II,8-18 ................. 2
2a First D spines 6; A n,8-18 .................................................. 3
2b First D spines 7; A II ,8-11 .................................................. 7
2c First D spines 8; A n,8; Prays 18 ................................ Neamia
3a Longest procurrent C ray spiny (unsegmented);
A 11,9; palatine teeth present; preopercle edge
serrated ............................................................ Sphaeramia
3b Longest procurrent C rays segmented ................................... 4
4a Preopercle edge smooth; A II,9 or n,12-13; scales
cycloid to weakly ctenoid; large canines absent
(some teeth may be slightly enlarged) ...................... Rhabdamia
(subgenera Rhabdamia and Verulux)
4b Preopercle edge usually serrate; scales usually
ctenoid; A 11,8-18; large canine teeth present
or absent ........................................................................ S
Sa Canine teeth and supramaxilla absent ................................... 6
Sb Canine teeth and supramaxilla present ................. Cheilodipterus
6a A n,12-18 ........................................................... Archamia
6b A n,8-9 ......................................... Apogon (most subgenera)
7a A II,lO-l1; soft Drays 10-11; preopercle
edge smooth .................. Rhabdamia (subgenus Bentuviaichthys)
7b A n,8-9; soft Drays 9; preopercle edge serrate or
smooth .......................................................................... 8
8a LL complete .................................................................. 10
8b LL incomplete; preopercle edge smooth .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. ...... .. .. ... 9
9a Palatine teeth present .................................................... Foa
9b Palatine teeth absent ............................................... Fowleria
lOa Preopercle edge smooth; palatine teeth absent;
supramaxilla present; C rounded ....................... Apogonichthys
lOb Preopercie edge serrate; palatine teeth usually
present; supramaxilla absent; C emarginate .................. Apogon
(subgenera Nectamia, Lepidamia and Pristiapogon)
Genus Apogon Lacepede, 1802
Body oblong and compressed; head large, snout short;
eye large; 6-7 spines in 1st D; D and A last ray sometimes
split to base; LL complete with 23-45 pored scales, the last
2-4 scales on C, usually smaller than body scales; body
175: APOGONIDAE (CARDINAL FISHES)
scales ctenoid; villiform teeth on jaws, vomer, and usually
on palatines; preopercle ridge smooth (serrate in Pristiapogon); canine teeth absent; C usually emarginate.
A large, varied group of small, colourful fish that inhabit
shallow water, mostly coral reefs. Fraser (1972) recognised
10 subgenera within this, the largest genus in the family;
about 29 species in our area. A kiensis andA. fragilis are not
known from our area, but they probably occur here.
KEY TO SPECIES
la First D spines 6
Ib First D spines 7
............................................................... 2
9
2a Total GR 20 or more ........................................................ 4
2b Less than 20 GR .............................................................. 3
3a Total GR 14-17; colour uniform scarlet without dark
stripes; P 13-14 .................................... A. (Apogon) coccineus
3b Total GR 12-16; 3 dark stripes on body: upper and
middle horizontal, lower diagonal from eye to
A base; P 12 .................................... A. (Apogon) semiornatus
4a Total GR 20-2S ............................................................... S
4b Total GR 26-30 ............................................................... 7
Sa 1-3 horizontal stripes on body; caudal spot
present or absent ............................................................. 6
Sb A short dark stripe from snout through eye to angle
of opercie; small caudal spot present ....... A. (Nectamia) thermalis
6a Upper part of body with 2-3 stripes, the lower 1
from snout to tip of mid C rays; caudal spot
absent ............................................... [A. (Nectamia) kiensis)
6b One narrow stripe along centre of body from
angle of opercle to C base; small caudal spot
present ............................................... A. (Nectamia) lateralis
7a AII,9-1O;2ndDrays9 ..................................................... 8
7b A II,8; 2nd Drays 8; V black ................... A. (Nectamia) nigripes
8a Second to 4th D spines ending with filaments, the
2nd spine longest; caudal spot absent; few orange
to brown spots on cheek; 3 vertical orange bars
behind eye ..................................... A. (Zoramia) leptacanthus
8b D spines not filamentous; small caudal spot
present; a dark stripe from snout to rear margin
of eye ................................................. [A. (Zoramia) tragi/is)
9a Preopercie ridge serrated; suborbitals with spines .................. 10
9b Preopercie ridge smooth; suborbitals without spines ............... 11
lOa Dark stripe along body narrowing toward tail;
LL covered by lower part of caudal spot;
P 14 ............................................. A. (Pristiapogon) traenatus
lOb Dark stripe more or less same width from snout to
caudal spot; caudal spot above LL merely
touching but not covering it; P 13 .... A. (Pristiapogon) kallopterus
lla Two or more horizontal stripes or lines along
side of body; caudal spot present or absent ........................... 12
lIb No horizontal stripes on body; caudal spot (or band)
present or absent ............................................................ 18
12a Body orange; horizontal stripes orange to dusky
but never dark; caudal spot absent ...................................... 13
12b Stripes dark brown to black; caudal spot usually
present ......................................................................... 14
547