Species
Conchfish
Astrapogon stellatusAlso known as Starry Cardinalfish
Conchfish spend daylight hours tucked safely inside the mantle cavity of living queen conchs, sheltering harmlessly beside the host's body without causing irritation. When darkness falls, they slip out into surrounding seagrass meadows and sandy flats to hunt tiny crustaceans and marine worms. Male conchfish actively incubate fertilised clutches inside their mouths, safeguarding and aerating the eggs until the fry hatch.
NocturnalCommensalReef Dweller
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyAmphipods, Copepods, Small shrimp
Predators
- Snappers
- Groupers
- Moray eels
ThreatsOverharvesting of queen conch hosts and seagrass habitat loss
HabitatsSeagrass meadows, coral reefs, and shallow sandy rubble zones
Life span2–4 years
Classification
- FamilyApogonidae
- SpeciesAstrapogon stellatus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Harmless to humans; safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Night Diving: Scan seagrass meadows near conch beds with a red light after dark.
- Shell Etiquette: Avoid disturbing or handling living queen conchs to check for hidden fish.
Commensal Host (c) H. Zell, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Image unavailableClose Relative 
Close Relative (c) Pauline Walsh Jacobson, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Pauline Walsh Jacobson · cc-by
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