#1569 - Cleidopus gloriamaris - Pineapple Fish
Last photo by Hectonichus, at the Monaco Aquarium.
AKA knightfish or coat-of-mail fish, due to the armour-like scales covering its body, and the port-and-starboard light fish after bioluminescent organs hidden at the corners of the mouth. The specific epithet is from the Latin for "glory of the sea".
There are only four species in the family, the pinecone fish or Monocentridae, and the pineapplefish is the largest at 30cm.
Pineapplefish are native to coastal waters in Western Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland, where they may live under the same rocky ledge for the better part of a decade. They’re weak swimmers, and nocturnal, venturing out at night to feed on sandy flats. It’s possible they use their light organs to lure and illuminate small crustacean prey, but may also be using the light to communicate with other pineapplefish.
They do quite well in captivity, as long as they’re given rocky overhangs and live prey, and can live for 10 years.