Description:

Dorsal spines: 7; Dorsal rays: 9; Anal spines: 2; Anal rays: 8. 

Small cardinalfish with elongate body and long caudal peduncle. Roundly forked caudal fin. Small ctenoid scales. Lateral-line scales large and well spaced. 

Colour. Reddish or reddish-brown. Broad dark bar on the head through the eye. A black spot on the body at the rear of the dorsal fin, followed by a small 
white spot just behind.
 

Maturity: Unknown. Max length : 15.0 cm TL. 

Usually shelters deep inside caves and under crevices on deep outer reefs during the day (depth 5-70 m). Often swims upside-down on the cave ceiling.
Benthopelagic. Nocturnal. Emerges at night to feed on zooplankton. Solitary or in pairs. Mouthbrooder. Distinct pairing during courtship and spawning.

This species is not protected or subject to fishery regulations. 

First recorded in Seychelles at Bird Island by Randall & van Egmond (1994). 
Photo courtesy Eleanor Brighton and Chris Mason-Parker (c) 2022 Blue Safari Seychelles/Marine Conservation Society, Seychelles. 
Photograph taken at Alphonse group 2022.

Bray, D.J. (2018). Zapogon evermanni in Fishes of Australia, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3475 (29/10/23)
Froese, R. & D. Pauly. (Eds.) (2023). FishBase. Zapogon evermanni. https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Zapogon-evermanni.html (29/10/23).
Gilmore, G. & Fraser, T. (2015). Zapogon evermanni. The IUCN Red List 2015: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T185933A1791105.en. (29/10/23).  
Randall, J.E. & van Egmond, J. (1994). Marine fishes from the Seychelles: 108 new records. Zool. Verh. Leiden 297:43-83.

Nevill, J.E.G., Brighton, E. & Mason-Parker, C. (2023). Zapogon evermanni, Evermann's cardinalfish. Seychelles Seatizens. www.seatizens.sc. https://seatizens.sc/species/zapogon-evermanni-jordan-snyder-1904/