Margaretha's goatfish

📖 Overview

Margaretha's goatfish (Upeneus margarethae), first described by Uiblein & Heemstra, 2010 is a small fish in the family Mullidae (order Mulliformes). Adults typically reach 11.00 cm in maximum length. It inhabits marine coastal and open-ocean environments. Recorded depth range: 8 to 50 metres. It occurs in Tropical waters. It feeds on a mix of small fish and invertebrates as a mid-level predator. On the IUCN Red List, it is classified as Least Concern.

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9. This species is distinguished by the following characters: D VIII,9; pectoral fins 13-14, usually 14 (in 26 of 29 individuals); gill rakers 4-7 + 16-18 = 21-24; lateral line scales 28-30; body depth at first dorsal fin origin 22-26% SL and at anus 20-24% SL; caudal-peduncle depth 9.3-11% SL; maximum head depth 19-23% SL; head depth through eye 15-19% SL; head length 27-31%SL; orbit length 6.5-9.1% SL; upper jaw length 10-12% SL; barbel length 16-20% SL; caudal-fin length 27-31% SL; anal-fin height 14-18% SL; pelvic-fin length 20-24% SL; pectoral-fin length 21-25% SL; first dorsal-fin height 20-23% SL; second dorsal-fin height 16-20% SL; 8-10 total bars on caudal fin, 4 bars on upper caudal-fin lobe, 3 on lobe itself and 1 at the lobe base; broad red band lower caudal-fin lobe, covering up to 5-6 red bars which are only partly visible along the outer, ventral fin margin in fresh fish, usually not retained on preserved one, but with some traces of bars and dark pigmentation at the lower lobe fin tip; a mid-lateral body stripe running through eye, red from snout tip to eye and yellow from behind eye to caudal-fin base, not retained on preserved fish; tip of first dorsal-fin pale; barbels white; body red above lateral line, body and head white laterally, with red or rose dots or blotches, ventral side of head and belly white; body uniformly pale brown in preserved fish; first minute dorsal-fin spine often dark pigmented forming a small spot at fin origin that is often distinct from above in preserved fish .: fusiform / normal.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Margaretha's goatfish is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 8 - 50 m . Tropical Indian Ocean: Red Sea to Somalia, Kenya, Mozambique, Madagascar, Persian Gulf, Sri Lanka, NW Australia, N Australia (Arafura Sea).

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

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