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Sydney Cardinalfish
Apogon limenus Randall & Hoese, 1988
A Sydney Cardinalfish at a depth of 21m, North Solitary Island, New South Wales, April 1998. View larger image.
A Sydney Cardinalfish at a depth of 12m, Fly Point Marine Reserve, Port Stephens, New South Wales, April 2003. Note the expanded gular region (glossary) due to the presence of eggs in the mouth. View larger image.
A mouthbrooding Sydney Cardinalfish at a depth of 12m, Fly Point Marine Reserve, Port Stephens, New South Wales, April 2003. View larger image.
The Sydney Cardinalfish has pink fins and a broad mid-lateral stripe. There is a wide gap between the second and third stripes and a short stripe running posteriorly from the top of the eye. A large spot is present on the caudal peduncle (glossary).
The Sydney Cardinalfish grows to 14cm in length.
This species lives in rocky estuaries and offshore reefs at depths between 1m and 30m.
It is endemic to (only known from) Australia, occurring from southern Queensland to southern New South Wales, but probably also in eastern Victoria.
The Sydney Cardinalfish is very common in the Sydney region. Many of the specimens used in the original description of the species by Randall and Hoese, were collected from Sydney Harbour, hence the common name. The species name limenus comes from the Greek word limen, meaning harbour or refuge, and refers to the habitat of the species.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 469.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Randall, J.E. & D.F. Hoese. 1988. Apogon limenus, a new species of cardinalfish (Perciformes: Apogonidae) from New South Wales. Records of the Australian Museum 40: 359-364.
