Apogonidae · saltwater water fish
1 minute read · Species guide
Ostorhinchus brevispinis is a species of deep-water cardinalfish. To date it has only been recorded from Rurutu in the Austral Islands and Rangiroa in the Tuamotus although the difficulty in observing and collecting this fish has led the authors who described the species to predict that it is likely to have a far wider distribution.
This species grows to over 60 mm in length with five broad longitudinal brown stripes alternating with five much narrower whitish stripes and a dark mark on the caudal peduncle. The scientific name "brevispinis" refers to the very short first spine on the dorsal fin.
Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Ostorhinchus brevispinis (source revision). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
Range
GBIF holds no US occurrence record for this species under this name. That is a gap in the record, not evidence that the fish is absent: ITIS files it as a US species.
Habitat
Classification
Closest relatives
Same family
