Phantom Cardinalfish

Lachneratus phasmaticus

Fish
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth4–105 m
Water temperature8–28 °C
Best monthsFebruary, March, and May
How commonRare

About this species

Lachneratus phasmaticus, also known as the phantom cardinalfish, is a species of fish in the family Apogonidae, the cardinalfishes. It is the only member of its genus. It is native to the tropical eastern Pacific and Indian Oceans. This fish can be found in crevices and underwater caves, and it occurs at depths of 3 to 104 m. It grows to a standard length of 7.4 cm (2.9 in).

Text from the Wikipedia article “Phantom cardinalfish”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 0 records
February: 2 records
March: 3 records
April: 0 records
May: 2 records
June: 1 records
July: 2 records
August: 0 records
September: 1 records
October: 0 records
November: 0 records
December: 1 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 4–105 m · Deepest record: 107 m

0–10 m: 7 records
10–20 m: 1 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 1 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 7 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 1 records
100–110 m: 3 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 8–28 °C

6–8 °C: 1 records
8–10 °C: 0 records
10–12 °C: 4 records
12–14 °C: 1 records
14–16 °C: 0 records
16–18 °C: 0 records
18–20 °C: 0 records
20–22 °C: 2 records
22–24 °C: 0 records
24–26 °C: 5 records
26–28 °C: 10 records

Names and classification

English: Phantom Cardinalfish

Names in 1 more languages

French: Apogon fantôme

Similar species

Pearly-finned Cardinalfish
Jaydia poeciloptera
Barred Striped Cardinalfish
Ostorhinchus fasciatus
Gobbleguts
Ostorhinchus rueppellii
Cryptic Cardinalfish
Apogon erythrinus
Timor Cardinal
Apogonichthyoides timorensis
Obliquebanded cardinalfish
Apogon semiornatus

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
44 open-data records from 1964 to 2020.
Species data updated November 3, 2026.

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