Dr. John Ernest (Jack) Randall (†), Hawaii
Info
wurden die Taeniamia lineolata is a cryptic species that hides during the day in dark crevices and caves in reefs, but goes hunting for zooplankton in the dark.
The Cardinalfish is then after edible invertebrates and smaller fish, whereby it itself, with a maximum of ~10cm, is a suitable intermediate snack for larger predators.
Taeniamia lineolata is said to form schools with other Archamia species in coral reef lagoons, although it is unclear whether the animals gather in schools during the day or only at night!
FishBase cites a book as a reference (Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno and T. Yoshino, 1984. The fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Vol. 1. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. 437 p., which unfortunately does not seem to be available as a pdf.
Rudie H. Kuiter, on the other hand, states in his work “Cardinalfishes of the World” on page 47 that the perch is usually found swimming in loose clusters in coastal coral reefs over coarse gravel reefs, and at night it stays close to the bottom over coarse gravel reefs!
Kuiter describes the coloration as follows:
During the day: yellow on the head and above the belly, grayish on the back and many reddish, thin vertical lines, pale and semi-transparent
At night whitish-gray, bluish on the back, with many vertical vertical lines consisting of tiny black or red spots close together.
A large caudal spot (tail spot) up to the size of the eye is striking.
The size specifications of the cardinal fish also differ:
FishBase up to 10.3 cm TL, Kuiter up to 8.5 cm
There is also disagreement regarding the species' distribution:
FishBase: endemic to the Red Sea, photos of Dr. Randall and Dr. Shao from Taiwan, Malaysia and Sudan complete the “chaos”,
CAS - Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Red Sea and Gulf of Aden
WoRMS; Red Sea, Mozambique, Madagascar and the Comoros.
We contacted FishBase and Rudie H. Kuiter on January 11, 2025, and pointed out the differences. We will be happy to share the answers later.
08.04.2025
Meanwhile, the following note can be found on FsihBase:
“The records outside this area (Red Sea) are misidentifications of various other species, including Bleekeri, Flavofasciata, Fucata, Macroptera and Mozambiquensis.”
It's hard to believe for a cardinalfish that was first described just under 200 years ago...
Synonyms:
Apogon lineolatus Cuvier, 1828 · unaccepted
Archamia lineolata (Cuvier, 1828) · unaccepted (Superseded new combination)
Archamia lineolatus (Cuvier, 1828) · unaccepted (misspelling)
Taeniamia lineolatus (Cuvier, 1828) · unaccepted > misspelling - incorrect subsequent spellingg
The Cardinalfish is then after edible invertebrates and smaller fish, whereby it itself, with a maximum of ~10cm, is a suitable intermediate snack for larger predators.
Taeniamia lineolata is said to form schools with other Archamia species in coral reef lagoons, although it is unclear whether the animals gather in schools during the day or only at night!
FishBase cites a book as a reference (Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno and T. Yoshino, 1984. The fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Vol. 1. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. 437 p., which unfortunately does not seem to be available as a pdf.
Rudie H. Kuiter, on the other hand, states in his work “Cardinalfishes of the World” on page 47 that the perch is usually found swimming in loose clusters in coastal coral reefs over coarse gravel reefs, and at night it stays close to the bottom over coarse gravel reefs!
Kuiter describes the coloration as follows:
During the day: yellow on the head and above the belly, grayish on the back and many reddish, thin vertical lines, pale and semi-transparent
At night whitish-gray, bluish on the back, with many vertical vertical lines consisting of tiny black or red spots close together.
A large caudal spot (tail spot) up to the size of the eye is striking.
The size specifications of the cardinal fish also differ:
FishBase up to 10.3 cm TL, Kuiter up to 8.5 cm
There is also disagreement regarding the species' distribution:
FishBase: endemic to the Red Sea, photos of Dr. Randall and Dr. Shao from Taiwan, Malaysia and Sudan complete the “chaos”,
CAS - Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Red Sea and Gulf of Aden
WoRMS; Red Sea, Mozambique, Madagascar and the Comoros.
We contacted FishBase and Rudie H. Kuiter on January 11, 2025, and pointed out the differences. We will be happy to share the answers later.
08.04.2025
Meanwhile, the following note can be found on FsihBase:
“The records outside this area (Red Sea) are misidentifications of various other species, including Bleekeri, Flavofasciata, Fucata, Macroptera and Mozambiquensis.”
It's hard to believe for a cardinalfish that was first described just under 200 years ago...
Synonyms:
Apogon lineolatus Cuvier, 1828 · unaccepted
Archamia lineolata (Cuvier, 1828) · unaccepted (Superseded new combination)
Archamia lineolatus (Cuvier, 1828) · unaccepted (misspelling)
Taeniamia lineolatus (Cuvier, 1828) · unaccepted > misspelling - incorrect subsequent spellingg
