Spotnape cardinalfish
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Spotnape cardinalfish form male-female pairs during the breeding season.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Spotnape cardinalfish
- Scientific name
- Ostorhinchus notatus
- Japanese name
- クロホシイシモチ
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Order
- Kurtiformes
- Family
- Apogonidae
- Genus
- Ostorhinchus
A cardinalfish that lives in schools on shallow rocky reefs near the coast. Its schools can sometimes become very large.
The male guards the eggs the female lays inside his mouth, moving his mouth to give them fresh seawater, and cares for them until they hatch.
It eats small crustaceans and fish. It is often caught by people fishing from breakwaters.
Basic data
- Size
- Total length: 10 cm
- Diet
- Small crustaceans and fish
- Range
- Central Honshu southward and the western Pacific
Where the Spotnape cardinalfish has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- クロホシイシモチ
- 简体中文
- 黑点鹦天竺鲷
- 繁體中文
- 黑點鸚天竺鯛
- 한국어
- 점동갈돔
- Português (Brasil)
- Cardeal-nipônico
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 葛西臨海水族園 — クロホシイシモチChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Spotnape cardinalfish, look for this
- You may see a male with a bulging lower jaw.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
葛西臨海水族園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Spotnape cardinalfish
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Apogonidae
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