The ring-tailed cardinalfish (''

Ostorhinchus ''Ostorhinchus'' is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Apogonidae native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans.Mabuchi, K., Fraser, T.H., Song, H., Azuma, Y. & Nishida, M. (2014)Revision of the systematics of the cardinalfishes (Percomorpha: Ap ...

aureus'') is a widespread fish species in the family

Apogonidae Cardinalfishes are a family, Apogonidae, of ray-finned fishes found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans; they are chiefly marine, but some species are found in brackish water and a few (notably ''Glossamia'') are found in fresh water. A h ...

found in the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

and off

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, north to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, and south to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Taxonomy

The

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

naturalist

Philibert Commerson Philibert Commerson (; 18 November 1727 – 14 March 1773), sometimes spelled Commerçon by contemporaries, was a French naturalist, best known for accompanying Louis Antoine de Bougainville on his voyage of circumnavigation in 1766–1769. ...

provided the first description of this fish from

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

in the western

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

, but it was not published in a format allowing full citation. Therefore, the

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

name and description by

Bernard Germain de Lacépède Bernard-Germain-Étienne de La Ville-sur-Illon, comte de Lacépède or La Cépède (; 26 December 17566 October 1825) was a French naturalist and an active freemason. He is known for his contribution to the Comte de Buffon's great work, the ...

(who acknowledged Commerson) takes precedence, albeit with a nod to Commerson.Lacépède, B. G. E. (1802
''Histoire naturelle des poissons. v. 4, p.273''
/ref> With no original or subsequent illustrations or specimens denoted as types, Fricke nominated a neotype in 1999 but subsequently withdrew it.Fricke, R. (2000) ''Invalid neotypes'' Copeia 2000 (no. 2): 639-640

Etymology

This species has on occasion been mistakenly considered a

junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

of the similar species ''

Ostorhinchus fleurieu ''Ostorhinchus fleurieu'' (flower cardinalfish,Lieske, E. and Myers, R.F. (2004) ''Coral reef guide; Red Sea'' London, HarperCollins gold cardinalfish, bullseye cardinalfish, cardinalfish, ring-tail cardinalfish or ringtailed cardinalfish) is a ...

'', but is generally acknowledged as separate; it had the junior species synonym ''roseipinnis'' applied by

Georges Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French natural history, naturalist and zoology, zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier ...

in 1829.Eschmeyer, W. N. and R. Fricke, and R. van der Laan (eds). ''CATALOG OF FISHES: GENERA, SPECIES, REFERENCES'
Electronic version accessed 31 May 2018
Lacépède coined the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

'' in 1802Lacépède, B. G. E. (1802
''Histoire naturelle des poissons. v. 4, p.23''
/ref> to which ''O. aureus'' was eventually assigned,Randall, J. E. (2005) ''Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands'' University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu. i-xii + 1-707. although he originally placed it in the genus ''

Centropomus ''Centropomus'' is a genus of predominantly marine fish comprising the family Centropomidae. The type species is '' Centropomus undecimalis'', the common snook. Commonly known as snooks or ''róbalos'', the ''Centropomus'' species are native to ...

'' which is now placed in a different fish family,

Centropomidae ''Centropomus'' is a genus of predominantly marine fish comprising the family Centropomidae. The type species is ''Centropomus undecimalis'', the common snook. Commonly known as snooks or ''róbalos'', the ''Centropomus'' species are native to t ...

Description

This fish is coppery-coloured with a broad blackish bar at the base of the tail, up to 14.5 cm in length. The upper jaw has a narrow blue streak, and a broad blackish stripe extends from the front of the snout to the

eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...

. Easily confused with ''

'',Lieske, E. and Myers, R.F. (2004) ''Coral reef guide; Red Sea'' London, HarperCollins where the black tail bar does not narrow in the centre, but unlike this species, the stripe is also present in juveniles. Internally, ''O. aureus'' is one of a large group of

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

feeding fishes which has a black

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compo ...

ed gut lining, apparently to hide the glow of

bioluminescent Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some Fungus, fungi, microorganisms including ...

prey Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

from its own

piscivore A piscivore () is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. The name ''piscivore'' is derived . Piscivore is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophage, both of which mean "fish eater". Fish were the diet of early tetrapod evoluti ...

s in turn. The eyes of ''O. aureus'' allow the transmission of

ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...

light, which if it is proven to be able to see, could benefit its nocturnal foraging.

Meristics

Using a shorthand meristics formula, ''O. aureus'' can be described as having: D, VII-I,9 A, II,8 P, 14 LL, 25 GR, 6-8 + 16-20Allen, G.R. and M.V. Erdmann 2012 Reef fishes of the East Indies. Tropical Reef Research, Perth, Australia. Volume I, p. 387.

Habitat

''Ostorhinchus aureus'' inhabits holes in rocks or under ledges in shallow waters. It is known to occur in mixed aggregates with ''

Ostorhinchus apogonoides ''Ostorhinchus'' is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Apogonidae native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans.Mabuchi, K., Fraser, T.H., Song, H., Azuma, Y. & Nishida, M. (2014)Revision of the systematics of the cardinalfishes (Percomorpha: Ap ...

'' during summer and autumn, but form separate aggregates in winter and spring.

Settlement

Whereas coral reef fish settlement tends to be dominated by larval recruitment, in at least part of Australia's

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

, recruitment of ''O. aureus'' at any given

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

patch tends to be by adult and juvenile migration across intervening sand and coral debris.

Parasites

''O. aureus'' is subject to infection by tiny

cnidaria Cnidaria () is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in freshwater and marine environments, predominantly the latter. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that th ...

n parasites from class

Myxosporea Myxosporea is a class of microscopic parasites, belonging to the Myxozoa clade within Cnidaria. They have a complex life cycle which comprises vegetative forms in two hosts, an aquatic invertebrate (generally an annelid but sometimes a bryozoan) ...

. Fish specimens have been found with gall bladder infections of '' Ceratomyxa apogoni'', '' Ceratomyxa cardinalis'', and '' Ellipsomyxa apogoni'',. Three species have also been found in skeletal muscle cells: '' Kudoa cheilodipteri'', ''

Kudoa whippsi ''Kudoa whippsi'' is a myxosporean parasite of marine fishes, first discovered in Australia from 8 pomacentrid Pomacentridae is a family of ray-finned fish, comprising the damselfishes and clownfishes. This family were formerly placed in the ...

'', and ''

Kudoa iwatai ''Kudoa'' is a genus of Myxozoa and the only genus recognized within the monotypic family Kudoidae. There are approximately 100 species of ''Kudoa'' all of which parasitize on marine and estuarine fish. ''Kudoa'' are most commonly known and stud ...

.''

Behaviour

''O.aureus'' is a nocturnal predator; where

seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the orde ...

is adjacent to its reef, it tends to venture out further than some other members of its

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Diet

Studies of stomach contents show that ''O.aureus'' is a

generalist A generalist is a person with a wide array of knowledge on a variety of subjects, useful or not. It may also refer to: Occupations * a physician who provides general health care, as opposed to a medical specialist; see also: ** General pract ...

predator, eating mainly

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...

ic and

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...

s, but, unusually for its family, may at times also eat

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

Reproduction

''O.aureus'' are external bearers, specifically mouth brooders. Adults tend to pair whilst juveniles tend to aggregate during the day time.

Importance to humans

Aquariums

''O. aureus'' is regularly kept by marine aquarists. Personal Aquariums List of aspects that should be aware of about having Ring-tailed cardinalfish at home as personal pet: - This species needs good hiding places, for example, between live rocks. - This species can live with many of its own kind, when provided with enough space. - This species is nocturnal and therefore the most active when the light is dimmed or turned off. - The species grows very quickly if fed well. - This species might be a threat to smaller fishes. - This species poses a threat towards shrimps and crabs etc. which are relatively small.

References

External links

* * Ringtail Cardinalfish @ Fishes of Australia
/small> {{Taxonbar, from1=Q43442632, from2=Q2253608 ring-tailed cardinalfish Fish of the Red Sea Marine fish of Northern Australia ring-tailed cardinalfish Taxa named by Bernard Germain de Lacépède