Conchfish (Astrapogon stellatus)
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from FishBase, occurrence map from GBIF, conservation from IUCN Red List, description from Wikipedia.
Last updated
Serge Aucoin · via Wikipedia: Astrapogon stellatus · CC BY-SA 4.0
Astrapogon stellatus is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Apogonidae, the cardinal fishes. It lives in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It is commonly known as the conchfish because it typically conceals itself in the mantle cavity of a living queen conch (Aliger gigas) by day.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassActinopterygii
- DivisionTeleostei
- OrderGobiiformes
- FamilyApogonidae
- GenusAstrapogon
- SpeciesAstrapogon stellatus
Named by (Cope, 1867)
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Astrapogon stellatus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · differs from this box at order: WoRMS AphiaID 279774 (CC BY 4.0)
Conservation status
Data Deficient (DD)
Data Deficient: there is not enough information to place this species on the risk scale.
Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.08 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Astrapogon stellatus
Where the conchfish (astrapogon stellatus) has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (16,087 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 2 inland records left out (institution coordinates). 1 isolated far-off record not drawn.
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Apogoniformes · Family: Apogonidae · Genus: Astrapogon.
Accepted name: Astrapogon stellatus · Authority: (Cope, 1867) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 279774.
Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Apogonichthys stellatus Cope, 1867.
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=279774 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Biology and life history (FishBase)
Measured values published by FishBase for Astrapogon stellatus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.
Maximum length: 8 cm · Depth range: 1–40 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.
FishBase notes: Prefers clear insular waters of oceanic islands (Ref. 9626). Has a commensal relationship with the conch shell Lobatus gigas (where it is found in the mantle cavity) and with the bivalve Atrina rigida (Ref. 9626).
Emerges at night from the conch shell to feed on small crustaceans. Males brood the eggs in their mouths. (Ref. 26938).
Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 3535) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Astrapogon-stellatus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)
16,087 georeferenced occurrence records for Astrapogon stellatus are published through GBIF from 21 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 26 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 3 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.
Most records by country or area: United States of America (15,453); Puerto Rico (452); Belize (56); Bahamas (51); Mexico (15).
The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2396932) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2396932&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=279774 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Conservation status (IUCN Red List)
The IUCN Red List assesses Astrapogon stellatus (Cope, 1867) as Data Deficient (code DD). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.
Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 185869) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/185869/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2396932) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2396932/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.
Description and natural history (Wikipedia)
Cardinal fishes have large eyes, a large mouth, two widely separated dorsal fins, a long caudal peduncle and large scales. A. stellatus grows to a maximum standard length of 8 cm. It is dark brown or black, but also has a pale phase, and can be distinguished from related species by its pigmentation and meristics.
A. stellatus is native to the tropical western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Its range extends from Florida, Bermuda and the Bahamas to the Greater and Lesser Antilles, and Brazil, as far south as Rio de Janeiro. It typically inhabits reefs and clear shallow waters to a depth of about 40 m.
A. stellatus is a cryptic, nocturnal species, and feeds on plankton in the open sea. Usually a solitary fish, a pair bond is formed at breeding time. The male is a mouth-brooder, retaining the eggs in his mouth until they hatch, but otherwise, very little is known about the fish's biology.
A. stellatus has a commensal relationship with the queen conch (Aliger gigas), living by day within the mollusc's mantle cavity, and emerging at night to forage. The queen conch is becoming increasingly rare because of over-fishing, and the conchfish has been reported using the rigid pen shell (Atrina rigida) as an alternative refuge. Also amber pen shell (Pinna carnea) is sometimes used. Other members of the family take refuge in corals, sponges and rock crevices.
Source: Wikipedia: Astrapogon stellatus — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrapogon_stellatus (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Related in Conchfish
Links follow this subject's own source article.
Elsewhere in Conchfish
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Astrapogon stellatus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; compare WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List assessment.
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Biology values: FishBase species summary (CC BY-NC 3.0, non-commercial).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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