The star pearlfish, Carapus mourlani, is a species of slender, ray-finned fish in the family Carapidae.

Its range includes the coastlines of South and East Africa, the Seychelles, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Micronesia, northern Australia, and Hawaii.

[3] The star pearlfish is a commensal of starfishes such as Culcita novaeguineae and holothurians such as Bohadschia argus and Stichopus spp.

A pair of fish may release their gametes within the body cavity of the host, and the fertilised eggs may later emerge into the water column.

During the experimental work, a large sea cucumber, Bohadschia argus, was put in a bucket of relatively cold water, which caused 14 pearlfish to emerge, with a further one remaining inside.