Apogon novemstriatus Rüppell, 1838 Cheilodipterus bipunctatus (Lachner, 1951) Paramia bipunctata Lachner, 1951 Cheilodipterus novemstriatus, the Indian Ocean twospot cardinalfish, is a species of ray-finned fish from the Indian Ocean, which is a member of the family Apogonidae.

The body is an overall silver-grey in colour with five contrasting, longitudinal black stripes with the upper running near the base of the dorsal fin.

[4] C. novemstriatus is common in shallow, sheltered waters[2] and is found at depths of 1–10 metres (3.3–32.8 ft) over rocky reefs or coral, which have holes and ledges.

Its main food is zooplankton, and in the Red Sea, it is frequently encountered at night along sandy shores at depths of 0.5–1.5 m. It is a social species and gathers in large groups, especially in its daytime shelters and even in the newly established Mediterranean populations, large schools have been encountered.

[3] Like other species of cardinalfish, C. novemstriatus shows pairing behaviour and courtship and the male broods the eggs in his mouth.