''Ozichthys'' is a

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

cardinalfish Cardinalfishes are a family, Apogonidae, of ray-finned fishes found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans; they are chiefly marine, but some species are found in brackish water and a few (notably '' Glossamia'') are found in fresh water. A ...

, which was named and characterized in 2014. Its sole

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

, ''Ozichthys albimaculosus'' (also known as the cream-spotted cardinalfish), is found in tropical

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and southern

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

Taxonomy and description

Originally described as ''Foa albimaculosus'' in 1976, ''Ozichthys albimaculosus'' is included in the

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

containing ''Apogonichthys'', ''Foa'', ''Fowleria'', and ''Neamia''. Members of the family Apogonidae are of the suborder

Percoidei Percoidei is a suborder of bony fishes in the order Perciformes. Many commercially harvested fish species are considered to be contained in this suborder, including the groupers, Serranidae, seabasses and perches. Divisions The following classif ...

. Apogonids characteristically have large heads and an ellipsoidal body. ''Ozichthys'' shares a number of other similar features with other members of the clade. These include aspects of head pigmentation and the colouration of fins along the body and vertical aspects are similar as well. Finally, each pored lateral-line scale demonstrates one pore oriented above the raised median canal and another below. Features distinguishing the genus ''Ozichthys'' from other similarly colored apogonids include the number of spines on the first dorsal fin. There are sawtooth edges along the lower cheek bones. The bones supporting the first and second caudal fin rays are fused. In addition, principal caudal fin-rays show sixteen rows of free neuromasts. The posterior orbits have more than three flute canals. The first

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...

shows 8 visible spines. The ninth rib is epineural. The lateral-line scales contain 23–24 pores. There are 9 dorsal spines, 9 dorsal soft rays, 2 anal spines, and 2 anal soft rays.

Distribution and habitat

These

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

fish, which exhibit

external fertilisation External fertilization is a mode of reproduction in which a male organism's sperm fertilizes a female organism's egg outside of the female's body. It is contrasted with internal fertilization, in which sperm are introduced via insemination and then ...

of eggs, and

mouthbrooding Mouthbrooding, also known as oral incubation and buccal incubation, is the care given by some groups of animals to their offspring by holding them in the mouth of the parent for extended periods of time. Although mouthbrooding is performed by a va ...

by males, are found distributed through Australia and Papua New Guinea. Typically, they are found in soft bottom, inshore locations and trawling sites. Pairing is distinct during courtship and

spawning Spawn is the Egg cell, eggs and Spermatozoa, sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of freely releasing eggs and sperm into a body of water (fresh or marine); the physical act is ...

. This tropical reef-associated fish typically resides in a depth range of but can also be found as deep as . The maximum total length recorded was an unsexed male measuring .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5580965 Apogonidae Monotypic marine fish genera Taxa named by Patricia J. Kailola Fish described in 1976 Taxa named by Thomas H. Fraser