Banggai Cardinal Fish

Facts

IUCN ENDANGERED (EN)

Facts about this animal

Bangai cardinal fish are mainly reef-dwellers, that occupy over-hangs, reef caves and seagrass beds near reefs. They feed on crustaceans, small fish and plankton, They mouth brooders. The males carry the eggs for 18 to 24 days before releasing 15 to 40 near a long-spined sea urchin (or anemone) which provides protection.

Did you know?
that Banggai cardinal fish hover directly above long spined sea urchins, with the younger ones staying closer to the urchins so they can retreat among the spines when threatened?

Factsheet
Class	ACTINOPTERYGII
Order	PERCIFORMES
Suborder	PERCOIDEI
Family	APOGONIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Pterapogon kauderni
Name (English)	Banggai Cardinal Fish
Name (French)	Apogon de Kaudern
Name (German)	Banggai-Kardinalbarsch
Name (Spanish)	Cardenal de Banggai
CITES Status	Not listed (a proposal to list the species in Appendix II failed in 2007)
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Jens Petersen

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Indonesia (Banggai Island). This species has an extremely limited geographic range (5,500 km²).
Habitat	Coral reefs, seagrass beds, and open areas of sand and rubble of up to 4.5 m depth, being most common at 1.5–2.5 m depth.
Wild population	An estimated 700,000–900,000 fish per year are internationally traded. In a proposal to list the species in CITES Appendix II, a population estimate of 2.4 million was given. This was questioned, however, by the range state.
Zoo population	524 reported to ISIS, but commonly kept by privat aquarists.

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 51 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Fish must be unpacked carefully and under low illumination.

Find this animal on ZooLex