Bigeye cardinalfish (Nectamia bandanensis)

Scientific name: Nectamia bandanensis Bleeker, 1854

The Bigeye cardinalfish (Nectamia bandanensis) is a marine fish of the family Apogonidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 8. Color is coppery or silvery with saddle or bar across the caudal peduncle and a wedge-shaped bar below the eye. Similar to A. fuscus but usually has fewer gill rakers (25-27 versus 28-30). Leading edge of ventral fin clearly pale-blue.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Nectamia bandanensis
Family: Apogonidae (Cardinalfishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 10.0
Common length: 7.7
Depth range: 10–34 m (33–112 ft)
Environment: Marine; reef-associated; depth range 10 - 34 m, usually 30 - ? m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Moluccas and Philippines to Samoa, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to southern Great Barrier Reef; Mariana and Caroline Islands in Micronesia.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries:
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026