Nectamia fusca (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)
Ghost cardinalfish
photo by Malaer, P.

Family:  Apogonidae (Cardinalfishes), subfamily: Apogoninae
Max. size:  11.2 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  reef-associated; marine; depth range 1 - 20 m
Distribution:  Indo-Pacific: known from the Red Sea, Indian Ocean (except the Seychelles, Chagos Archipelago, Cargados Carajos, Mauritius and Rodrigues), north to Japan and south to Australia; throughout the West Pacific to the Tonga Islands, Samoa, Phoenix and Marshall Islands.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 8-8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-9; Anal spines: 2-2; Anal soft rays: 8-8. Description: Characterized by brown color, dark brown on back, with coppery or silvery reflections; presence of narrow dark brown band below eye; dark bar or saddle across caudal peduncle; greatest depth of body 2.4-2.7 in SL (Ref. 90102).
Biology:  Common in reef flats and shallow lagoons, but hiding by day within Acropora thickets and other corals, as well as in holes and crevices and emerging at night to forage on free-swimming invertebrates (Ref. 1602). Also found in sheltered seaward slopes in 1-20 m (Ref 90102). Feeds on small fishes and benthic invertebrates (e.g. shrimps - alpheids and penaieds; isopods, copepods, crab larvae, polychaete worms); relatively close to cover, within about 1-2 m (Ref. 11890).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 04 February 2009 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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