Taeniamia fucata
Small orange-striped cardinalfish common in Palau's reefs and Egypt's Red Sea, hovering near coral heads in warm 25-29C water year-round.
A slim, torch-shaped little fish barely 7cm long, easy to overlook until you notice a cluster of them hovering motionless near a coral head. The body carries thin orange-red stripes running lengthwise against a pale silvery background, with a dark spot near the base of the tail on some individuals. Look for the big dark eye and the way it holds station in loose groups rather than darting for cover like a damselfish.
Usually seen hovering in small loose groups tucked against coral overhangs, sea fans, or in the shadow of a reef ledge, staying close together but not schooling tightly. They tend to hold their position rather than bolt when a diver approaches, drifting back a little and regrouping once you move on. Most activity is passive during the day, with feeding and movement picking up around dusk as is typical for cardinalfish.
Like other cardinalfish, males of this family are mouthbrooders, carrying the fertilised eggs in their mouth until the young are ready to fend for themselves.
No clear seasonal pattern shows up in the sighting data, and the 25.1 to 29.1C range it's found in matches tropical reef temperatures year-round, so any month works at these sites.
Most reliably logged around Koror and Malakal in Palau, with strong numbers too across Palawan in the Philippines and the Red Sea Riviera and South Sinai in Egypt. Divers also find steady sightings in Koh Chang in Thailand, Taveuni in Fiji, and Raja Ampat in Indonesia, making it a widespread reef regular rather than a specialist you need to chase.
Mapping where Orangelined Cardinalfish is logged…
They turn up reliably around Koror and Malakal in Palau, Palawan in the Philippines, and along the Red Sea Riviera and South Sinai in Egypt. Good numbers also show in Koh Chang in Thailand and Raja Ampat in Indonesia.
There's no strong seasonal signal in the sightings, and they're found across a warm 25 to 29C range, so they're present on tropical reefs throughout the year.
Look for a small silvery fish around 7cm with thin orange-red stripes running along its body and a large dark eye. They hover in loose little groups near coral heads instead of darting for cover.
They stay small, typically reaching around 7cm, which is normal for cardinalfish and one reason they're easy to miss unless you're looking closely at reef crevices.
No. They're a harmless, tiny reef fish that poses no risk to divers and will simply drift aside if you get close.
Males brood fertilised eggs inside their mouth until the young hatch and are ready to swim off on their own, a trait shared across most cardinalfish species.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
Iridescent Cardinalfish
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