Apogon rexmullorum Cuvier, 1828 Apogon ruber Lacepède, 1801 Kuhlia rubens (Spinola, 1807) Amia imberbis (Linnaeus, 1758) Mullus imberbis Linnaeus, 1758 Apogon imberbis, the cardinalfish, the Mediterranean cardinalfish or king of the mullets, is a species of ray-finned fish, a cardinalfish belonging to the family Apogonidae.

It is widely distributed in the Mediterranean and along the warm temperate and tropical eastern Atlantic coasts from Portugal south to the Gulf of Guinea.

It has a large, oblique mouth with a protruding lower jaw, which contains rows of small villiform teeth on the mandible, palatine and vomer.

The body and fins are coloured red or pink, duskier on the back and upper surface of head.

[3] Apogon imberbis is occasionally used as bait for hook and line fishing but in some parts of its range it is consumed by humans.