Ostorhinchus semilineatus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1842)
Half-lined cardinal
Ostorhinchus semilineatus
photo by Kamy Yeung@114°E Hong Kong Reef Fish Survey

Family:  Apogonidae (Cardinalfishes), subfamily: Apogoninae
Max. size:  12 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  reef-associated; brackish; marine; depth range 3 - 100 m
Distribution:  Western Pacific: central Honshu, Japan to Taiwan and the Philippines. Also occurs in Indonesia and northwestern Australia, a new record for the northeastern Indian Ocean (Ref. 5978).
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 8-8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-9; Anal spines: 2-2; Anal soft rays: 8-8. Upper jaw tips of breeding pair protrude. Attains 12 cm TL.
Biology:  May enter semi-enclosed sea areas; forms schools over rocky bottoms (Ref. 11230). Nocturnal species (Ref. 7300). Breeding pairs are found from July to September in Japan. Mouth brooding is done by the male (Ref. 240).
IUCN Red List Status: Data deficient (DD); Date assessed: 04 February 2009 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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