Arabic Cardinalfish

The Arabic Cardinalfish (Cheilodipterus arabicus) is a species of tropical marine fish, found predominantly in reef-associated environments at depths ranging from 3 to 25 meters. The etymology of its scientific name derives from Greek, with "cheilos" meaning lip, "di" meaning two, and "pteryx" signifying fin.

In terms of morphology, the Arabic Cardinalfish can reach a maximum length of 18 cm, although it is more commonly found at a length of 8 cm. It is frequently encountered in small groups around coral formations. The species displays a pale brown coloration with 13 to 16 dark brown stripes along its body. In larger specimens, these dorsal stripes may appear irregular. A notable morphological feature includes a small dark spot, outlined by a yellow area on the caudal peduncle, which may sometimes expand into a dark brown bar encompassing the caudal peduncle. A distinctive snow white bar is present between this dark spot or bar and the posterior ends of the body stripes. The first dorsal fin varies from dusky to dark brown, whereas the other fins range from pale in juveniles to dusky in adults, although they never achieve the darkness of the first dorsal fin. The snout is generally darker compared to the rest of the body.

The reproductive behavior of the Arabic Cardinalfish is characterized by mouthbrooding and distinct pairing during courtship and spawning processes.

Geographically, this species is distributed across the western 🌊 Indian Ocean, with occurrences in the 🌊 Red Sea, Tanzania, 🇲🇿 Mozambique, 🇸🇨 Seychelles, and 🇮🇳 India. Its absence from other regions of the 🌊 Indian Ocean is likely attributed to insufficient sampling efforts. Additionally, its absence from the Gulf of Aqaba and the 🌊 Persian Gulf may be due to competitive interactions with closely related species such as Cheilodipterus lachneri and Cheilodipterus persicus, respectively.