Colour Down Under
Critically endangered :-( Banggai Cardinalfish. :-)
The Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) is a small tropical cardinalfish in the family Apogonidae. It is the only member of its genus.[2] This attractive fish is popular in the aquarium trade. It is among the relatively few marine fish to have been bred regularly in captivity, but significant numbers are still captured in the wild and it is now an endangered species.
This species is restricted to the Banggai Islands of Indonesia.[3] This species has an extremely limited geographic range (5,500 km²) and small total population size (estimated at 2.4 million).[4] The Banggai cardinalfish is composed of isolated populations concentrated around the shallows of 17 large and 10 small islands within the Banggai Archipelago. A small population also occurs off Central Sulawesi, within Luwuk harbor. One additional population has become established in the Lembeh Strait (North Sulawesi), 400 km north of the natural area of the species distribution, following introduction by aquarium fish traders in 2000.[4] Small populations seen (May 2014) in Secret Bay, north west Bali.
Collection for the aquarium trade has threatened this species with extinction.[3] This increases the demand for captive-bred specimens. It is listed as an endangered species by the IUCN based on its small range, the fragmentation of its distribution, and its continuing decline due to exploitation for the international aquarium trade.[1] In 2007, the species was proposed to be listed for protection under CITES Appendix II, which could limit export of wild-caught individuals, but Indonesia would not support this, and the proposal was withdrawn.
Colour Down Under
Critically endangered :-( Banggai Cardinalfish. :-)
The Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) is a small tropical cardinalfish in the family Apogonidae. It is the only member of its genus.[2] This attractive fish is popular in the aquarium trade. It is among the relatively few marine fish to have been bred regularly in captivity, but significant numbers are still captured in the wild and it is now an endangered species.
This species is restricted to the Banggai Islands of Indonesia.[3] This species has an extremely limited geographic range (5,500 km²) and small total population size (estimated at 2.4 million).[4] The Banggai cardinalfish is composed of isolated populations concentrated around the shallows of 17 large and 10 small islands within the Banggai Archipelago. A small population also occurs off Central Sulawesi, within Luwuk harbor. One additional population has become established in the Lembeh Strait (North Sulawesi), 400 km north of the natural area of the species distribution, following introduction by aquarium fish traders in 2000.[4] Small populations seen (May 2014) in Secret Bay, north west Bali.
Collection for the aquarium trade has threatened this species with extinction.[3] This increases the demand for captive-bred specimens. It is listed as an endangered species by the IUCN based on its small range, the fragmentation of its distribution, and its continuing decline due to exploitation for the international aquarium trade.[1] In 2007, the species was proposed to be listed for protection under CITES Appendix II, which could limit export of wild-caught individuals, but Indonesia would not support this, and the proposal was withdrawn.