Apogonichthyoides maculipinnis (Regan, 1908)
Specklehead cardinalfish

Family:  Apogonidae (Cardinalfishes), subfamily: Apogoninae
Max. size:  4.02 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  reef-associated; marine; depth range 10 - 40 m
Distribution:  Western Indian Ocean: Maldives.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 8-8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-9; Anal spines: 2-2; Anal soft rays: 8-8. This species is distinguished by the following characters: body with variable sized brownish spots in size (on jaws, snout, interorbital, nape, preopercle, subopercle, and abdomen); a dark wedge-shaped bar below the eye; rows of small brown dots, one per scale, in three rows - the uppermost along lateral line, the middle along lateral midline from behind opercle flap to mid-caudal peduncle, and the third parallel to second, from behind pectoral fin to above middle of anal fin; a large dark blotch on distal membranes of third and fourth dorsal-fin spines; with a small dark-brown spot on body at the base of last two branched dorsal-fin rays; a brownish stripe in second dorsal fin, transparent above and below, anal fin without stripe; pectoral-fin rays 14; median predorsal scales on nape 3; gill rakers1 + 8 ,3 upper and 3 lower rudiments; multicolored iris in life (Ref. 118651).
Biology:  The two known specimens were collected from under a piece of dead-coral rubble on a gradually sloping sand bottom at 40 m depth (Ref. 118651).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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