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🌊 Marine 🌡️ Tropical

Sea urchin cardinal

Siphamia mossambica Smith, 1955
Max Length
4 cm
Max Weight
-
Lifespan
-
Trophic Level
3.2
Depth
5–26 m
Climate
Tropical
Resilience
High
Vulnerability
10.00/100
Typical Length
-
Depth Zone
reef

📖 Overview

Sea urchin cardinal (Siphamia mossambica), first described by Smith, 1955 is a tiny fish in the family Apogonidae (order Apogoniformes). Adults typically reach 4.00 cm in maximum length. It inhabits marine coastal and open-ocean environments. Recorded depth range: 5 to 26 metres. It occurs in Tropical waters. It is broadly omnivorous, taking invertebrates, plant matter, and detritus.

Scientific Name
Siphamia mossambica
Authority
Smith, 1955
Habitat
Marine
Climate
Tropical
Body Shape
Short and / or deep
Max Length
4 cm
Depth Range
5–26 m
Trophic Level
3.2
Resilience
High
Vulnerability
10.00/100
Salinity
30–40 ppt

🔬 Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Teleostei
Teleostei
Order
Apogoniformes
Apogoniformes
Family
Apogonidae
Apogonidae
Genus
Siphamia
Siphamia
Species
Sea urchin cardinal
Siphamia mossambica

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 8. Body covered with dark dots; 2 dark spots on caudal base. Developed gill rakers 9.: short and / or deep.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Sea urchin cardinal is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

aquatic invertebrates
small fish
algae
detritus

🥚 Reproduction

🐣 Oviparous 📦 Batch Spawner 👄 Mouth Brooder
Spawning Season
spring-summer
Spawn Location
Pelagic
Fertilization
External

Distinct pairing during courtship and spawning .

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 5 - 26 m . Tropical

🌿 Ecology

Zone Preferences
🌊 Marine 🪸 Reef Associated
Trophic Level
3.2±0.5

📐 Morphometrics

Length–Weight Relationship: W = 0.01479 × L3.06 (TL)
Max TL
4cm
Dorsal Spines
8
Dorsal Rays
9
Anal Spines
2
Anal Rays
8

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

Salinity Range
30–40ppt

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

Population Resilience
High
Minimum doubling time
Fishing Vulnerability
10.00/100
Low vulnerability
Trophic Level
3.2
Predator
Body Shape
Short and / or deep
Climate Zone
Tropical
Described By
Smith, 1955

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Language Common Names
🇬🇧English sea urchin cardinal
🌍CES parmovec keňský
🇵🇹Portuguese Cardeal-de-Moçambique

Scientific Synonyms

Scientific Name Author Year Status
Archamia mossambica Smith 1955 Synonym
Siphamia nigra Fourmanoir & Crosnier 1964 Synonym

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 1 records indexed .

Occurrence density from GBIF View GBIF records ↗

👥 Community & Contribute

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