Ochre-striped cardinalfish (Ostorhinchus compressus)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Apogoniformes · Family: Apogonidae · Genus: Ostorhinchus.

Accepted name: Ostorhinchus compressus · Authority: (Smith & Radcliffe, 1911) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 712653.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Amia compressa Smith & Radcliffe, 1911; Apogon compressus (Smith & Radcliffe, 1911); Apogonichthys macrophthalmus Bleeker, 1860.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=712653 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Ostorhinchus compressus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 12 cm · Common length: 8.5 cm · Depth range: 2–20 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: of potential interest · Aquarium trade: potential.

FishBase notes: Found in small aggregates among or near mounds of branching corals such as Porites cylindrica or P. nigrescens (Ref. 1602). Nocturnal species (Ref. 7300). Has been reared in captivity (Ref. 35404).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 5769) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Ostorhinchus-compressus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

945 georeferenced occurrence records for Ostorhinchus compressus are published through GBIF from 18 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 150 distinct locations from a sample of 945 records, omitting 27 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: Australia (479); Indonesia (152); Philippines (103); Japan (43); Solomon Islands (33); Papua New Guinea (27); Palau (26); New Caledonia (22); Malaysia (16); Singapore (11); Vanuatu (11); Thailand (6); Viet Nam (5); India (3); Timor-Leste (3).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 5788261) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5788261&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=712653 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Ostorhinchus compressus (Smith & Radcliffe, 1911) as Least Concern (code LC). 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 154872_2) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/154872_2/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 5788261) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/5788261/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

This fish was first described by Hugh McCormick Smith and Lewis Radcliffe after its collection during the 1907-1910 United States Bureau of Fisheries Albatross Philippines expedition. The holotype (record number USNM 68398) is lodged at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

The genus Amia initially allocated by the authors subsequently proved to be a synonym of Ostorhinchus, making its way via Apogon.

Although the maximum recorded standard length of O. compressus is 12 cm, its most common adult length is around 8.5 cm. Adults are pinkish-white, with six brown stripes along each side, iridescent blue eye rings, and up to four brown spots on the caudal peduncle (tail base). Juveniles begin with a black spot on a yellow caudal peduncle, which appears to mimic juveniles of certain piscivorous species of Cheilodipterus.

Using a shorthand meristics formula, O.

Ostorhinchus compressus occurs in Australian waters from the Scott Reef, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, and Rowley Shoals in Western Australia; and from the Great Barrier Reef to the Middleton & Elizabeth Reefs Reserve and Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. Its wider distribution extends through the Indo-Pacific from the Andaman Sea to Vanuatu and New Caledonia and as far north as southern Japan.

Research on the larval stage of this species shows that as it develops, its ability to see in ultraviolet light increases. Given that the larval stage is pelagic, this implies that older larvae can migrate down the water column to feed. This might improve its predator evasion, whilst improving its food intake.

Generally found from 2–20 metres, adults rest during the daytime in floating mixed species groups with other Apogonids. They are not very picky, being found resting in association with several kinds of live hard coral, Gorgonians, dead coral, rubble, and sand. Possibly because of the low water circulation, higher temperatures, and high oxygen consumption of some of the shallow branching corals into which O. compressus retreats from predators, it has been found to tolerate very low dissolved levels of oxygen, even at a temperature of 30 °C (which is likely to stimulate a relatively high resting metabolic rate).

The gills of O. compressus have been found infected with Gyrodactylid flatworms.

Source: Wikipedia: Ostorhinchus compressus — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostorhinchus_compressus (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.