CERCAMIA CLADARA - (RANDALL & SMITH, 1988)
Picture courtesy of: Alain Daoulas
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Gobiiformes (Order) > Apogonoidei (Suborder) > Apogonidae (Family) > Apogoninae (Subfamily) > Cercamia (Genus)
Poisson cardinal frèle, Frail cardinalfish,
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 6; Dorsal soft rays (total): 1 spine + 9 rays; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 12-13. Pectoral fin rays: 10; Principal caudal rays: 17, branched caudal rays: 8 + 7 = 15; Upper and lower procurrent rays stout, spinelike: 6-8. Gill rakers: 3-4 + 14-16; Pseudobranchial filaments: 7-11 (usually: 7); Vertebrae: 9 + 15. Body depth: 4.2-4.5 in SL; Scales weakly ctenoid, deciduous; Snout rather pointed, 4.0-5.2 in head; Caudal peduncle long and slender, its length 3.25-3.80 in SL, its depth: 3.35-4.05 in head; Fins high, longest dorsal spine: 6.85-9.40 in SL, longest dorsal soft ray: 5.00-5.90 in SL, longest anal rays: 4.75-5.65 in SL. Mouth terminal or with the lower jaw slightly projecting and slightly oblique, forming an angle of about 20° with the horizontal axis of head and body; Maxilla reaching a vertical through rear margin of pupil; Upper jaw length: 1.85-2.35 (usually: 2.20) in head; Posterior edge ofmaxilla concave, its corners rounded. Upper jaw teeth in a narrow row, tiny anteriorly, progressively slightly larger posteriorly; Teeth on dentary in a narrow band anteriorly, a single row on the sides; Lateral teeth slightly larger than those anteriorly and posteriorly; Vomerine tooth row reduced to 2 embedded teeth at posterior corners of the dentigerous surface; Palatines toothless. Max. length: 4.5 cm SL. Depth range: 6 - 40 m.
Color
Body translucent reddish with reddish dots and crosshatching; Cheek with stellate melanophores. Few melanophores on the brain membranes, and 1-8 large stellate melanophores behind the eye (not present in all individuals).
Etymology
Cercamia: from Greek, Kerkos = tail + from Greek, amia, -as = a kind of bonito. This name alludes to the elongate tail resulting from the unique vertebral count with one fewer abdominal and one more caudal vertebrae than other cardinalfishes. It is feminine.
cladara: from Greek, kladaros = frail or easily broken. Referring to its deciduous scales and weak fin spines.
Original description: Cercamia cladara Randall & Smith, 1988 - Type locality: Rapa, reef at entrance to Haurei Bay, coral and coral debris with ledges, 15-18 m, rotenone, J. E. Randall and D. B. Cannoy, 10 February 1971.
Distribution
South Pacific: Chesterfield Island (Coral Sea), New Caledonia and Tonga, east to French Polynesia.
Biology
Found in corals and coral debris of ledges, also in clear coastal reefs with mixed algae. Comes out at night only, usually seen drifting above sand patches. Distinct pairing during courtship and spawning.
Similar species
Apogon doryssa (Jordan & Seale, 1906) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
Cercamia eremia (Allen, 1987) - Reported from Red Sea; Indo-West Pacific: South Africa, Seychelles, Comoros, eastern Mascarenes (Mauritius, Rodrigues), Chagos Archipelago, Christmas Island (Australia) and Indonesia, east to Tonga, Wallis and Futuna, north to southern Japan, south to northern Western Australia and Queensland (Australia). Differs in having 3-4 + 14-16, rather than 1 + 11-12 gill rakers. Cercamia cladara also has a slightly longer tail (28.7-31.3 vs. 23.2-28. 4 % SL in 10 specimens of Cercamia eremia), a deeper caudal convexity (13.1-17.5 vs. 11.1-13.8 % SL), and longer pectoral fins (21.6-25.8 vs. 19.8-23.4 % SL in Cercamia eremia).
Cercamia melanogaster (Allen, Erdmann & Mahardini, 2015) - Reported from Western Pacific: West Papua (Indonesia).
Lachneratus phasmaticus (Fraser & Struhsaker, 1991) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
Last update: 20, July 2024
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Gobiiformes (Order) > Apogonoidei (Suborder) > Apogonidae (Family) > Apogoninae (Subfamily) > Cercamia (Genus)
Poisson cardinal frèle, Frail cardinalfish,
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 6; Dorsal soft rays (total): 1 spine + 9 rays; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 12-13. Pectoral fin rays: 10; Principal caudal rays: 17, branched caudal rays: 8 + 7 = 15; Upper and lower procurrent rays stout, spinelike: 6-8. Gill rakers: 3-4 + 14-16; Pseudobranchial filaments: 7-11 (usually: 7); Vertebrae: 9 + 15. Body depth: 4.2-4.5 in SL; Scales weakly ctenoid, deciduous; Snout rather pointed, 4.0-5.2 in head; Caudal peduncle long and slender, its length 3.25-3.80 in SL, its depth: 3.35-4.05 in head; Fins high, longest dorsal spine: 6.85-9.40 in SL, longest dorsal soft ray: 5.00-5.90 in SL, longest anal rays: 4.75-5.65 in SL. Mouth terminal or with the lower jaw slightly projecting and slightly oblique, forming an angle of about 20° with the horizontal axis of head and body; Maxilla reaching a vertical through rear margin of pupil; Upper jaw length: 1.85-2.35 (usually: 2.20) in head; Posterior edge ofmaxilla concave, its corners rounded. Upper jaw teeth in a narrow row, tiny anteriorly, progressively slightly larger posteriorly; Teeth on dentary in a narrow band anteriorly, a single row on the sides; Lateral teeth slightly larger than those anteriorly and posteriorly; Vomerine tooth row reduced to 2 embedded teeth at posterior corners of the dentigerous surface; Palatines toothless. Max. length: 4.5 cm SL. Depth range: 6 - 40 m.
Color
Body translucent reddish with reddish dots and crosshatching; Cheek with stellate melanophores. Few melanophores on the brain membranes, and 1-8 large stellate melanophores behind the eye (not present in all individuals).
Etymology
Cercamia: from Greek, Kerkos = tail + from Greek, amia, -as = a kind of bonito. This name alludes to the elongate tail resulting from the unique vertebral count with one fewer abdominal and one more caudal vertebrae than other cardinalfishes. It is feminine.
cladara: from Greek, kladaros = frail or easily broken. Referring to its deciduous scales and weak fin spines.
Original description: Cercamia cladara Randall & Smith, 1988 - Type locality: Rapa, reef at entrance to Haurei Bay, coral and coral debris with ledges, 15-18 m, rotenone, J. E. Randall and D. B. Cannoy, 10 February 1971.
Distribution
South Pacific: Chesterfield Island (Coral Sea), New Caledonia and Tonga, east to French Polynesia.
Biology
Found in corals and coral debris of ledges, also in clear coastal reefs with mixed algae. Comes out at night only, usually seen drifting above sand patches. Distinct pairing during courtship and spawning.
Similar species
Apogon doryssa (Jordan & Seale, 1906) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
Cercamia eremia (Allen, 1987) - Reported from Red Sea; Indo-West Pacific: South Africa, Seychelles, Comoros, eastern Mascarenes (Mauritius, Rodrigues), Chagos Archipelago, Christmas Island (Australia) and Indonesia, east to Tonga, Wallis and Futuna, north to southern Japan, south to northern Western Australia and Queensland (Australia). Differs in having 3-4 + 14-16, rather than 1 + 11-12 gill rakers. Cercamia cladara also has a slightly longer tail (28.7-31.3 vs. 23.2-28. 4 % SL in 10 specimens of Cercamia eremia), a deeper caudal convexity (13.1-17.5 vs. 11.1-13.8 % SL), and longer pectoral fins (21.6-25.8 vs. 19.8-23.4 % SL in Cercamia eremia).
Cercamia melanogaster (Allen, Erdmann & Mahardini, 2015) - Reported from Western Pacific: West Papua (Indonesia).
Lachneratus phasmaticus (Fraser & Struhsaker, 1991) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
Last update: 20, July 2024