Fish Facts

The dash-and-dot goatfish, Parupeneus barberinus, is a goatfish of the family Mullidae.

Description

Red variation of dash-and-dot goatfish are found in deeper waters

The dash-and-dot goatfish has the twin chin barbels typical of goatfishes. The body color is white with a black to dark brown stripe (dash) reaching from the upper lip through the eye and along the body, followed by a black spot (dot) at the base of the caudal fin. Above the stripe, the body has a yellowish tint. Dash-and-dot goatfish from deeper water will usually have red stripes and spots. They can reach a maximum length of 60cm, making them the largest of the Mullidae family.

Distribution and habitat

The dash-and-dot goatfish is considered one of the most abundant species of Parupeneus and is found in the Indo and Western Pacific Oceans. East coast of Africa, Gulf of Aden to Micronesia. Southern Japan to Australia. It is found off reef flats and lagoons on sandy bottoms up to 100 meters deep.

Diet

Dash-and-dot goatfish spend most of their time moving slowly over the bottom searching for prey with their barbels. Their diet includes worms, small crustaceans, and small fish.

References

• "Parupeneus barberinus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.

Dash-and-dot goatfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Mullidae Genus: Parupeneus Species: P. barberinus
Binomial name
Parupeneus barberinus (Lacépède, 1801)