in the coral-reef-areas of tropical seas kicks open some cardinal-perch-types in enormously large number. Above all the coasts offshore coral-reef-belts with low water-depth is the preferred habitat of most types. Some come also in brackish mangrove-swamps, others in the freshwater before. From the type Synagrops, also inhabitants of bigger depths of 200-500 m are known.
Shape and way of life Most cardinal-perches are drawn very colorful and pretty; many remind of coral-perches with its color-splendor. It is without exception small fish, who rarely become bigger than 10 cm. they possess two clearly separate back-fins, a fore hard-ray-y and a rear soft-ray-y. The anus-fin has only two hard-rays like with the perches. The mouth is big, put diagonally and equipped with many small teeth.
Types Also in the Mediterranean, a cardinal-perch occurs, that shining orange-red mullet-king (Apogon imberbis). This until fish long to 15 cm is the öfteren to be seen also in Meeresaquarien.
A particular type is Apogon ellioti from the Vietnamese coast-waters. This fish carries three light-organs, that are executed like three small headlights to the intestine, in its Innern. The purpose of these light-organs is completely puzzling.
From cardinal-perches of the types Paramia and Siphamia became relationships to urchins familiar. These types look for protection between the long thorns of determined urchins. Eibl-Eibesfeldt could prove even a real symbiosis with an urchin for Siphamia versicolor. As return for the thorn-protection, these perches clean the urchin from grew up and small-creatures. The urchin bends its thorns even "willing" about the side on that occasion in order to ease the fish of picking.
Apogonichthys strombi, that gets gig-ace into the coat-cave with danger the Meeresschnecke stream-bus and finds protection so, lives with the Bahama-Inseln.
Reproduction The cardinal-perches are remarkable also in other sense: they are mouth-breeders. Males or females, sometimes like sexes both with the mullet-king also, take the eggs after the Ablaichen into the mouth. In the mouth-cave, the eggs can then develop safely. The number of the eggs is quite high in the comparison to mouth-brooding colorful-perches despite this precaution: a sign, that many young-fish are carried off by robbers afterall after abandonment of the parental mouth.
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