Common Name
Cuban Cardinalfish
Year Described
Okamoto, Long, Claro & McCosker, 2025
Identification
Dorsal Fin: VI-1, 10
Anal Fin: II, 9
Pectoral Fin: 17
Lateral Line: 48, plus 5 on caudal fin
Gill Rakers: 26-27 (first arch)
Vertebrae: 10+15 = 25 total
Body moderately slender and laterally compressed. Large terminal mouth. Teeth conical. Lingual and endopterygoid teeth absent. Enlarged teeth on lower jaw symphysis. Maxillary process absent. Opercular spine absent. Lateral line complete and composed of pored scales. Two scales above and eight below lateral line at mid-body. 8 pyloric caeca. Ribs on abdominal vertebrae present. First dorsal and anal spines tiny. Pectoral fin reaches level of anus. Pelvic fin does not reach anus. Caudal fin forked. Body fully scaled except snout tip and lower jaw. No luminous organ on belly.
Color
Color in preservative brown. Fins darker in color. First dorsal fin with a distinctive thick, arched, dark band.
Size
Type material (2 specimens) was around 80mm SL.
Habitat
Type series collected by submersible at 385-567m close to rocky structure.
Range
Known only from off southern Cuba.
References
Okamoto, M., Baldwin, C. C., & D. J. Long. 2024. Two new species of the deepwater cardinalfish genus Epigonus (Epigonidae) from deep reefs off Curaçao, southern Caribbean. Ichthyological Research, 71(3), 1–10.
Okamoto, M., D. J. Long, R. Claro, & J. E. McCosker. 2025. A new species of epigonid fish genus Epigonus (Teleostei: Epigonidae) from Cuba and the first records of E. fragilis from the western South Pacific and Taiwan. Ichthyological Research, 1-10.