| Pajama Cardinalfish | |
|---|---|
| Sphaeramia orbicularis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Suborder: | Percoidei |
| Superfamily: | Percoidea |
| Family: | Apogonidae |
| Genus: | Sphaeramia Fowler & Bean, 1930 |
| Species: | S. orbicularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Sphaeramia orbicularis (Cuvier, 1828) |
|
The Orbiculate cardinalfish (Sphaeramia orbicularis) is a species of cardinalfish from the Apogonidae family. It grows to about 10 centimeters total length, and has a thin, dark vertical 'waistband' with scattered dark spots toward the tail. The Orbiculate cardinalfish is found in coastal areas throughout much the Indo-Pacific, including East Africa, Kiribati, the Ryukyu Islands, New Caledonia, Belau, eastern Caroline and Mariana Islands.[1]
In the Orbiculate cardinalfish, males incubate the eggs in their mouth until they hatch.[1] It eats mostly planktonic crustaceans, eating mostly at night.[1] While it is not a common marine aquarium fish, it can be a good beginner fish[2]