Swahili goatfish (Upeneus suahelicus)

Scientific name: Upeneus suahelicus Uiblein & Heemstra, 2010

Swahili goatfish (Upeneus suahelicus)

The Swahili goatfish (Upeneus suahelicus) is a marine fish of the family Mullidae. Native range: Western Indian Ocean, Kenya to South Africa, Eritrea (Red Sea).

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9. This species is distinguished by the following characters: D VIII,9; pectoral fins 15-16; gill rakers 6-8 + 19-21 = 26-28; lateral line scales 34-35; body depth at first dorsal-fin origin 26-30% SL and at anal-fin origin 22-26% SL; caudal-peduncle depth 9.9-11% SL; maximum head depth 22-25% SL; head depth through eye 17-19% SL; head length 28-31%SL; orbit length 7.1-9.4% SL; upper jaw length 12-14% SL; barbel length 15-20% SL; caudal-fin length 26-30% SL; anal-fin height 15-17% SL; pelvic-fin length 18-21% SL; pectoral-fin length 25-26% SL; first dorsal-fin height 22-26% SL; second dorsal-fin height 16-18% SL; 8-10 total bars on caudal fin, 4-6 brown bars on upper caudal-fin lobe, 3-4 of same color on lower lobe with the 3 proximal bars on upper lobe slightly curved with caudal-fin bars and white interspaces nearly equal width in width; in preserved specimens, all bars entirely retained. Fresh fish with 2 yellow or pale

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Upeneus suahelicus
Family
Mullidae (Goatfishes)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
13.5
Depth range
20–99 m (66–325 ft)
Environment
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 20 - 99 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Western Indian Ocean: Kenya to South Africa, Eritrea (Red Sea).
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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