| Family: |
Mullidae (Goatfishes) |
| Max. size: |
23 cm TL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
demersal; brackish; marine; depth range 2 - 90 m, oceanodromous |
| Distribution: |
Indo-West Pacific: South Africa to the Red Sea, east to Fiji, north to Japan and south to New Caledonia. |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 8-8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-9; Anal spines: 1-1; Anal soft rays: 7-7. This species is distinguished by the following characters: D VIII,9 ; pectoral fins 14-17; gill rakers 7-8 + 18-22 = 26-31; lateral line scales 32-37; body moderately deep or rather deep; measurements as % SL: body depth at anal-fin origin 22-29; maximum head depth 21-27; head depth through eye 16-21; suborbital depth 8.7-12; head length 28-33; snout length 9.5-13; postorbital length 11-14; upper-jaw length 11-14; barbel length 12-26; barbel width 0.7-1.2; caudal-peduncle length 18-23; second dorsal-fin base length 13-17; caudal-fin length 27-33; length of anal-fin base 10-13; anal-fin height 15-20; pelvic-fin length 17-22; pectoral-fin length 22-27; pectoral-fin width 3.7-5.9; first dorsal-fin height 22-28; first three to four long dorsal-fin spines are slightly protruding; second dorsal-fin height 16-20. Colouration: caudal fin no bars; first dorsal fin with a conspicuous black tip in fresh specimens that is usually well retained in preservative; both dorsal fins in fresh fish with dark, rather variable, horizontal or slightly oblique stripes, which are mostly lost in preservative; two yellow or pale-orange lateral body stripes in fresh fish, another conspicuous mid-lateral stripe at eye level from behind operculum to caudal-fin base; second stripe of variable length originating behind the pectoral-fin base, sometimes absent in subadults; stripes often lost in preservation; barbels white, pale beige, or pale rose, pale in preservation; head and body are silvery-whitish ventrally and gray to red brown dorsally, belly, pelvic and anal-fins often yellowish in fresh fish; when preserved, head and body uniformly brown or dorsally darker and fins pale brown, except for dark first dorsal-fin tip (Ref. 138759). |
| Biology: |
Found in coastal waters, entering estuaries (Ref. 30573). Sandy-muddy bottom (Ref. 43239). Forms schools (Ref. 5213). Has appearance of sillaginids when schooling (Ref. 48636). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 11 March 2015 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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