Common Name: Pearly-lined Cardinalfish

Distribution: Uncommon in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region: from South Africa to to the Line and Pitcairn Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Rapa and New South Wales. In Australia recorded from Bougainville Reef in the Coral Sea and the Solitary Islands in New South Wales.

Ecological Notes: Frequents inshore coastal and rocky estuaries and reefs, in holes and crevices. Depth from 2 – 10 m.

Additional Notes: Pale background with five broad dark stripes, the centre one from the eye to the tail, broadening slightly at the caudal peduncle. There is also a short thinner stripe from the top of the eye ending before the base of the first dorsal fin. Similar Ostorhinchus limenus has a distinct circular spot on the caudal fin base. Secretive during daylight hours and rarely seen. Grows to 11.5 cm. 

References: John E. Randall, Gerald R. Allen, Roger C. Steene, Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea, 2nd Edition, 1997. Published by Crawford House Publishing Pty Ltd. p.146.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=ostorhinchus+taeniophorus. Accessed 20/06/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://www.fishbase.de/summary/Ostorhinchus-taeniophorus.html. Accessed 20/06/18.