Fish of the Epigonus genus of the Epigonidae (deepwater cardinalfishes) family of the superfamily Percoidea of the Perciformes order of the Acanthopterygii superorder.
(Black cardinal fish. Photo by © Pedro Niny Duarte(c)ImagDOP. fishbase.org)
Black cardinal fish (Epigonus telescopus) was first described in 1810 by the French naturalist Antoine Risso (1777-1845).
It is a deep-sea species. It inhabits the depth of 75-1,200 meters, usually – 300-800 meters. It prefers to swim close to the sandy and oozy bottom. The maximum recorded length is 75 cm, specimens up to 55 cm long are more common. It feeds on small fish and invertebrates.
(Black cardinal fish. Photo by © J. Delgado. fishbase.org)
It has been found several times in the southern part of the Adriatic Sea.
Names of black cardinal fish (Epigonus telescopus) in other languages as follows:
Boca negra (Spanish), Re di Triglie nero (Italian), Riesen-Kardinalfisch (German), Gonustel (Polish), Olhudo (Portuguese), Эпигонус-телескоп (Epigonus-teleskop) (Russian), Veleokan crni, Okati matuličić (Serbian, Croatian), Veleoki globokomorski kraljiček (Slovenian), Poisson cardinal (French).