Coral Croucher

Uniformly dark species that has smaller, but longer tubercles than C. maculatus and lacks a notch in the dorsal fin.Description: Characterized by having two small spines at lower anterior edge of lacrimal; depth of body about 1.8 in SL (Ref. 90102).

Dorsal spines (total): 7 - 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12 - 13; Analspines: 2; Analsoft rays: 11 - 12

Found inshore (Ref. 75154). Alpheid shrimps are particularly common in their diet because they also inhabit the interstices of living corals in great numbers (Ref. 275).

Found among branches of Stylophora mordax and certain Acropora corals (Ref. 9710). It never ventures outside the confines of the coral head where it swims between the branches foraging for other coral-dwelling types (Ref. 275). Anterolateral glandular groove with venom gland; at least in dorsal-fin spines (Ref. 57406).

分布於印度-太平洋區，由東非到土木土群島，北至日本南部與小笠原群島，南至大堡礁。臺灣分布於蘭嶼海域。

小型魚類，無食用價值。

體型小，近卵形，側扁，頭長小於頭高。口小，端位；上下頜有細小的齒，腭骨則無。鰓孔狹小，鰓膜連於喉峽部。前鰓蓋骨上有6-9個鈍棘。全身大多無鱗，在背鰭基底有2-4列的鱗，且體表密被著垂直排列的粗糙小乳突或絨毛；側線有管狀鱗，比斑點棘頰鮋小，但卻有較長的長度。背鰭在硬棘部和軟條間缺刻淺，具硬棘VII-VIII，軟條12-13，背鰭棘有毒；臀鰭具硬棘II，軟條12；腹鰭小；尾鰭圓形。體呈紫色或灰褐色，身上無點，胸鰭有點白。

主要棲息於/ Stylophora mordax/與特定的 /Acropora/等 珊瑚的分支中。它從不冒險外出至珊瑚頂部的疆界，僅在珊瑚枝椏之間游動覓食。

Among branches of @Stylophora mordax@ and certain @Acropora@ corals (Ref. 9710).