Biodiversity 2mn

Baby Banggai cardinalfish in the lagoon's reef flat!

Young cardinalfish are hiding among the spines of a sea urchin in the ‘Tropical Escape’ exhibition.

Come closer… Can you spot the large diadem sea urchin settled on the lagoon’s reef flat? Have you seen it? Now look amongst its long spines: a small group of tiny fish live there quietly.

What are they? They are small Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) that were recently born in the Tropical Escape exhibit. 

Apogon fry amongst the spines of the sea urchin

These little fish join the long list of species that breed regularly at Nausicaá, but their method of incubation is unusual. 

In fact, in the case of Banggai cardinalfish, it is the male who takes care of the fertilised eggs: he collects them in his mouth and keeps them there for the duration of the incubation period. During these few days, he does not feed and spends most of his time turning the eggs over in his mouth and discarding non-viable embryos. Even after hatching, he keeps them for a few more days before releasing them into the water.  
The young fish then take refuge amongst the spines of sea urchins or amongst the tentacles of sea anemones.  

The Banggai cardinalfish is very protective of its young! 

Apogon fry in the reef flat of the Échappée tropicale lagoon

An endangered species

Native to the Banggai Islands in Indonesia, these small tropical reef fish are now classified as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List. 

They are part of a European conservation programme, the EEP (EAZA Ex Situ Programme), coordinated by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, in which Nausicaá participates.