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A Mouth Full of Eggs -
Cardinalfish Reproduction

A pair of Moluccan cardinalfish (Apogon moluccensis). One individual - probably the male - displays lightening of the face as it displays to its partner. Photo by Scott W. Michael

Coral reef fishes employ a variety of different reproductive stratagies. Some broadcast pelagic eggs into the water column. Some create nests on the sea floor on which they deposit there eggs while other demersal spawners scatter the eggs all over the ocean bottom. A few of the demersal spawners are oral incubators - that is, the male carries the eggs in his oral cavity until they hatch. These fishes can usually only handle one clutch of eggs at a time. Therefore, the male cannot breed again until the eggs have hatched. Some of the known oral incubators include the assessors, the jawfishes, and the cardinalfishes.

In this Coral Realm article, we will examine the reproductive behavior of the cardinalfishes (family Apogonidae).

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