Flamefish

Apogon maculatus

Fun facts for your next surface interval

Its conspicuous dark markings can fade almost out of view. [source]
The rear tail-base marking is a broad bar rather than a crisp little dot. [source]
The source distinguishes it from a Brazilian sister species. [source]

Florida and local context

Apogon maculatus is a species-level row in the Blue Heron Bridge (WPB), Phil Foster Park report. This is cumulative citizen-science evidence, not an independently reidentified voucher or a guarantee of a current sighting.

A documented past record does not establish present abundance or guarantee an encounter.

Sources: REEF: named-site cumulative diver survey supplied with reservation

How to recognize this animal

A small orange-red cardinalfish with a dark eye stripe bordered by pale lines, a dark mark below the rear dorsal fin and a diffuse tail-base bar. The dark marks can fade, so retain the whole pattern.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Flamefish

Size and life stages

The regional maximum is 11.1 cm, about 4.4 inches. Small size is useful context but cannot distinguish every red cardinalfish.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Flamefish

Habitat and where to look

The regional account places it on reefs. Observe visible fish beside rock or coral without reaching into shelter or shifting anything to expose them.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Flamefish

Range and local context

The account covers the Gulf of Mexico and southeastern Florida through the southern Caribbean. More northerly records are described as waifs. The supplied Blue Heron Bridge survey is the local evidence.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Flamefish; REEF: named-site cumulative diver survey supplied with reservation

What is on the menu?

The regional database lists zooplankton as food. No precise local feeding schedule or prey-size distribution was verified, so these are not inferred from the fish’s large eyes.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Flamefish

Daily habits and behavior

Its markings may become faint, which can make successive views of the same fish look different. Compare structure and mark positions, rather than treating every change in darkness as another species.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Flamefish

Mating and the next generation

The source classifies eggs as brooded and larvae as pelagic. It does not provide enough detail here to assign a brood to a photographed fish or state a local spawning calendar.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Flamefish

Look-alikes and identification traps

Other red cardinalfishes can be deceptive. Get the eye stripe, dorsal-area spot and tail-base marking in one view. Do not substitute the Brazilian sister species Apogon americanus for this western Caribbean taxon.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Flamefish

Observe without disturbing

Avoid persistent bright lighting and repeated approaches to sheltered fish. Never flush it from a hole for a picture. Leave a tentative identification tentative when the marks remain hidden.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Flamefish

Harvest, protection and eating safety

Live-only ornamental collection; closed sites apply

Yellow denotes conditional live ornamental collection, never food harvest. Closed collection sites override statewide bag allowances. No year-round open season is inferred from the absence of dates.

This color is a qualified summary, not permission to collect or a guarantee that a particular animal is safe to eat.

Can it be hunted or harvested?

Apogon maculatus falls within cardinalfishes, family Apogonidae. Florida recreational marine-life rules require live landing and continued live maintenance with suitable circulation, aeration or oxygenation. Where collection is lawful, the normal limit is five of a species within 20 total marine-life organisms per person daily; two-day possession is ten of a species within 40 total. A recreational saltwater license is required unless exempt; recreational sale is prohibited. No additional species-specific size restriction is stated for this taxon in the reviewed FWC table.

Florida seasons and areas

Florida marine-life requirements also apply in adjacent federal waters. Listed marine-life collection is prohibited in the mapped Blue Heron Bridge Special Marine Life Area, not throughout Palm Beach County. Pennekamp prohibits tropical-fish collection. Biscayne National Park prohibits ornamental collection except under a valid superintendent-issued collecting permit. This is not permission to seek or use such a permit. Check the exact site, not just the county. Florida Keys Sanctuary Preservation Areas prohibit fishing and collection, subject to specifically stated exceptions; the Key Largo Management Area separately prohibits tropical-fish take and spearfishing. Biscayne National Park has additional rules, including a mapped March 1–May 31 fishing closure effective in 2026. These are not whole-county bans.

Can it be speared?

Do not spear this live-only marine-life species. Use only authorized nonlethal collection methods where collection is permitted. Location restrictions still apply: spearfishing is prohibited in Monroe state waters from Long Key, including Long Key, north to the Miami-Dade line. This state-water restriction is separate from the Key Largo Management Area prohibition. Florida also restricts spearfishing around swimming beaches, fishing piers/bridges, jetties and state parks; federal water alone is not permission to spear in a closed sanctuary zone.

Is it safe to eat?

Not a recreational food-harvest fish under these live-only rules. No recipe, preparation method or food-safety clearance is provided. A harvest allowance is not a food-safety clearance. Check current Florida Department of Health advice for the capture location, species and person eating the fish. This review establishes no meal frequency and no local restaurant menu match.

This review covers the Vero Beach–Key Largo Atlantic corridor: Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Florida Atlantic state waters and South Atlantic federal waters are distinct jurisdictions. Do not extend a state-water season tag to federal waters or transfer Atlantic rules to Gulf-side Keys waters. Park and sanctuary boundaries can override a species allowance.

Before you act: Confirm the species, date, exact management area, state or federal waters, gear, licenses and current local closures. A local occurrence record never grants permission to take an animal.

Official rules and health guidance

Reviewed 2026-11-11. Rules and advisories can change; check the linked authorities before acting.

Identification and source cautions

The local evidence is a cumulative citizen-science record supplied in the reservation, not an independently reidentified voucher or a current encounter probability.
Broad range and habitat accounts do not establish presence at every site between Vero Beach and Key Largo.
Maximum length is a reported upper size, not a typical local encounter size.

Sources and review

Biology and taxonomy reviewed 2026-11-11. Photographs on cited sites are reference material and are not reproduced here.

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