PORT PHILLIP BAY


Wood's Siphonfish 

Siphamia cephalotes (Castelnau, 1875)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Meristics.
Dorsal fin spines/rays: VI; I, 8
Anal fin spines/rays: II, 8
Caudal fin rays: 17
Pectoral fin rays: 14
Ventral fin spines/rays: I, 5
Lateral line: 25
Gill rakers: (upper limb) 1-4 (total) 15-18

Interpreting fin count meristics.
Spines are in Roman numerals and soft rays are in Arabic numerals. Spines and rays that are continuous in one fin are separated by a comma. Fin sections are separated by semicolons.

Detailed descriptions of fin count and other meristics are in:
Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. and Kuiter, R.H. (2008) Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

Order level detail.
A Large and highly diverse group of modern bony fishes many of which have a generalized perch like body form. Most have pelvic fins with one spine and 5 rays and the maxillary bone is excluded from the gape of the mouth. Interrelationships of the group are poorly understood and continue to be studied. They inhabit almost all aquatic habitats from high-altitude strams to the deep sea, although most are marine.

Family level detail.
A diverse group of small mostly marine fishes with oval to elongate somewhat compressed bodies; large mouths, often with the lower jaw slightly protruding; large eyes; a "double-edged" operculum and two separate short-based dorsal fins. They are highly variable in colour, usually reddish, brown or blackish, often with darker bars and stripes. Many species form large schools and some are bioluminescent, producing light either with or without symbiotic bacteria. Males brood the developing eggs in their mouths.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Chordata
Subphylum:
Craniata
Superclass:
Gnathostomata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Perciformes
Family:
Apogonidae
Genus:
Siphamia
Species:
cephalotes

General Description

Body slender, compressed, with two separate short-based dorsal fins; head bluntly rounded, mouth very large. Bronzy to silvery green with a silver tube-like light organ visible along the lower surface. To 5 cm.

Biology

Although common, this species is mostly active at night and not often seen during the day. Males incubate the developing eggs in their mouths.

Habitat

Rocky reefs in bays, estuaries and along the coast, hides in seagrass and kelp beds during the day, in depths of 1-30 m.

Reefs

Seagrass meadows

Distribution guide

Southern Australia.

Species Group

Fishes › Cardinalfishes

Depth

Shallow (1-30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

5 cm

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Conservation Status

  • DSE Advisory List : Not listed
  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not listed

Author

article author Bray, D.J.

Di Bray is a Senior Collection Manager of ichthyology at Museum Victoria.

Author

article author Gomon, M.F.

Dr. Martin Gomon is a Senior Curator of ichthyology at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. & Gomon, M.F., 2011, Wood's Siphonfish, Siphamia cephalotes, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 25 Feb 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/6463

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