Duskytail Cardinalfish

Description

The body is silvery white without melanocytes; there are more than 20 orange narrow and curved vertical stripes on the side of the body, and there is a visible blackish tail base. The snout is yellow. Each fin is transparent. This species and brown-spotted albacore (Archamia Fucata) is very similar, but the whole body of this species is whiter without melanocytes; the snout also has no lines. The body is elliptical, tall and flat. The front operculum ridge is smooth, with jagged edges. The lateral line is complete and extends to the caudal fin. With hoe bone teeth. The scales are easy to fall. Anal fin base is long; caudal fin is forked. There are illuminators near the chest and anus.

Diagnosis: Rays: dorsal VI + I,9; anal II,13-15; pectoral rays 14 (rarely 13 or 15). Gill rakers 5-6 + 15-17. Lateral-line scales 25+3-5. Median predorsal scales 5-7. Body depth 2.4-2.7 in SL; body width 2.3-2.6 in body depth; eye diameter 2.55-3.0 in head length; first dorsal spine 2.0-2.9 in second spine; second dorsal spine 2.3-2.9, and third dorsal spine 2.4-2.8 in head length; spine of second dorsal fin 2.3-2.8, and second anal spine 2.6-3.2 in head length; pelvic-fin length 4.5-5.15 and caudal-peduncle length 4.3-5.4 in SL; distance from insertion of pelvic spine to anal-fin origin 3.8-4.8 in SL. Basilingual teeth absent. Posterior preopercular edge completely serrate, or nearly so; ventral edge serrate on posterior half. Scaly sheath along anal-fin base poorly developed or absent.

Distribution

Indo-West Pacific: eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific.

Habitat

It inhabits lagoon and fringing coral and rocky reefs with sand or rubble bottom in relatively clear water. Usually in aggregations, among branching corals, sometimes with its congeners.