Teleostei (teleosts) >
Kurtiformes (Nurseryfishes, cardinalfishes.) >
Apogonidae (Cardinalfishes) > Apogoninae
Etymology: Siphamia: A Swazi word, siphama, for a fish; spinicola: Name from Latin 'spinicola' for 'spine-dweller'; referring to its habit of living among the spines of echinoderms.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 5 - 20 m (Ref. 90102). Tropical
Western Central Pacific: New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Federated States of Micronesia (Ref. 90035).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 4.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 90102)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 8. Dorsal rays VII+I,9; anal rays II,8; pectoral rays 14-16; tubed lateral-line scales 14-21; median predorsal scales 4-5; total gill rakers 2-4 + 9-11 = 12-14; developed gill rakers 1 + 8-9; gill rakers on ceratobranchial 7-8. Body depth 2.4-2.7 in SL and body width 1.8-2.2 in the depth; eye diameter 2.8-3.4 in head length; first dorsal spine 2.5-3.25 in second spine; second dorsal spine 4.15-5.5, spine of second dorsal fin 3.5-4.6, and second anal spine 5.5-6.1, all in head length; pectoral-fin length 4.4-5.4 and pelvic-fin length 4.1-5.3 in SL; caudal-peduncle length 1.3-1.9 in distance between pelvic spine insertion and anal-fin origin. Preopercular edge with 19-32 small serrations; preopercular ridge smooth. Tip of light organ on each side of tongue bound by membrane (Ref. 90035).
Inhabits coral reefs in 5-20 m (Ref 90102). Specimens were collected from and observed among the spines of Acanthaster planci in Woleai Atoll and Diadema savignyi in New Ireland (USNM 357887) on bottoms of coral and rock or on coral patches surrounded by
sand (Ref. 90035).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Gon, O. and G.R. Allen, 2012. Revision of the Indo-Pacific cardinalfish genus Siphamia (Perciformes: Apogonidae). Zootaxa 3294:1-84. (Ref. 90035)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 24.9 - 29.3, mean 28.5 °C (based on 1464 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01445 (0.00680 - 0.03071), b=3.07 (2.89 - 3.25), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.2 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
