photo : David Darom Relevant synonyms Apogon duops Apogon nigripinnis Apogon pharaonis Apogon thurstoni Apogonichthyoides nigripinnuis Misidentification Apogon taeniatus Meristic formula D1, VII; D2, I + 8-9; A, II+7-8; P, 15-16; V, I + 5; LL, 24-27; GR, 16-18 * Nomenclature change: according to Gon and Randall (2003), the species formerly known in the Mediterranean as Apogon nigripinnis Cuvier, 1828, should be referred to as Apogon pharaonis Bellotti, 1874. A. nigripinnis is restricted to the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans (Gon and Randall, 2003).

SHORT DESCRIPTION Body oblong and compressed. Two distinct dorsal fins. The first two dorsal spines very short, the third the longest. A single spine on the second dorsal fin. Caudal fin truncated. Pelvic fin origin under pectoral fin base. Large oblique mouth with villiform teeth in jaws, vomer and palatine. Large eye, its diameter greater than snout length. Preoperculum with smooth ridge and serrated edge. A single opercular spine at the level of center of eye. color : three vertical black bars on grey-brown background. A black "eye-spots" encircled by a yellow ring at the midside within the first bar. size : common 5-8 cm (max. 12 cm). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Apogon imberbis: red color, 6 spines in the first dorsal fin. Epigonus spp.: base of soft rays portion of dorsal, anal and caudal fins covered with scales. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY A nocturnal species. During the day hides in caves and crevices at depths of 1-50 m. Feeds at night on zooplankton. Mouth brooder, the males incubate the eggs. habitat : rocky.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Palestine, 1947. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : Indo-Pacific. Red Sea, eastern Africa coasts to Australia. Mediterranean : recorded first in Palestine, misidentified as Apogon taeniatus (Haas and Steinitz, 1947) ; successively recorded in Cyprus (Demetropoulos and Neocleous, 1969) and Iskenderun, Turkey (Mater and Kaya, 1987). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Very common. speculated reasons for success : paucity of nocturnal competitors might facilitate its population growth and expansion. MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None. Single individuals are occasionally caught in trammel nets. Due to its small size no commercial importance.

KEY REFERENCES Gon O. and Randall J.E., 2003. A Review of the Cardinalfishes (Perciformes: Apogonidae) of the Red Sea. Smithiana. Pub. Aquat. Biodiv., 1: 1-46. Haas G. and Steinitz H., 1947. Erythrean fishes on the Mediterranean coast of Palestine. Nature, 160: 28. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: November 2013 ©ciesm 2002