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🌊 Marine Least Concern 🌡️ Tropical

Sulphur goatfish

Upeneus sulphureus Cuvier, 1829
Max Length
23 cm
Max Weight
-
Lifespan
-
Trophic Level
3.1
Depth
2–90 m
Climate
Tropical
Resilience
Low
Vulnerability
15.00/100
Typical Length
20 cm
Depth Zone
demersal

📖 Overview

Found in coastal waters, entering estuaries . Sandy-muddy bottom . Forms schools . Has appearance of sillaginids when schooling .

Scientific Name
Upeneus sulphureus
Authority
Cuvier, 1829
Habitat
Marine
Climate
Tropical
Body Shape
Fusiform / normal
IUCN Status
LC
Max Length
23 cm
Depth Range
2–90 m
Latitude
28°S – 36°N
Trophic Level
3.1
Resilience
Low
Vulnerability
15.00/100
Migration
Oceanodromous
Salinity
30–40 ppt

🔬 Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Teleostei
Teleostei
Order
Mulliformes
Mulliformes
Family
Mullidae
Mullidae
Genus
Upeneus
Upeneus
Species
Sulphur goatfish
Upeneus sulphureus

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 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 .: fusiform / normal; Cross section: oval.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Sulphur goatfish is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

aquatic invertebrates
small fish
algae
detritus

🥚 Reproduction

Size at Maturity
9.9cm TL

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; brackish; demersal; oceanodromous ; depth range 2 - 90 m , usually 20 - 60 m . Tropical; 36°N - 28°S, 33°E - 180°E West Pacific: South Africa to the Red Sea, east to Fiji, north to Japan and south to New Caledonia.

🌿 Ecology

Zone Preferences
🌊 Marine 🌿 Brackish ⬇️ Benthic
Migration
Oceanodromous
Trophic Level
3.1±0.1
🐠 Schooling

📐 Morphometrics

Length–Weight Relationship: W = 0.01023 × L3.09 (TL)
Max TL
23cm
Dorsal Spines
8
Dorsal Rays
9
Anal Spines
1
Anal Rays
7

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

Salinity Range
30–40ppt

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

IUCN Category
Least Concern
Assessment Date
2015

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

Population Resilience
Low
Minimum doubling time
Fishing Vulnerability
15.00/100
Low vulnerability
Trophic Level
3.1
Predator
Body Shape
Fusiform / normal
Climate Zone
Tropical
Latitude Range
36°N – 28°S
Described By
Cuvier, 1829

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Language Common Names
🇬🇧English Beach goatfish · Goatfish · Sulphur goatfish · Sunrise Goat-fish · Yellow goatfish · sunrise goatfish
🇸🇦Arabic سمك الماعز الكبريتي · سمك الماعز المشرق
🌍CES parmice pobřežní
🇫🇷French Rouget-souris aurore
🌍IND Ikan Pinang-pinang
🌍JAV Kakunir · Kuniran
🇯🇵Japanese Kohakuhimeji · コハクヒメジ
🇰🇷Korean 먹줄촉수
🌍MSA Butir nangka · Lebai
🇷🇺Russian Жёлтая козобородка
🌍SOM Fangalaato
🇪🇸Spanish Salmonete aurora
🌍SWA Mkundaji
🌍TGL Bisugo · Dalagang bukid · Manitis · Salmonito · Salmunete · Saramulyeteng hato · Saramulyeteng hulik · Saramulyeteng tagisi · Tuyo · Yangutan
🌍THA ปลาหนวดฤาษี · ปลาแพะเหลือง
🇨🇳Chinese 秋姑 · 鬚哥 · 黃帶緋鯉

Scientific Synonyms

Scientific Name Author Year Status
Parupeneus bilineata Valenciennes 1831 Synonym
Upeneus bilineatus Valenciennes 1831 Synonym
Upeneus sulphurus Cuvier 1829 Synonym
Upeneus suophureus Cuvier 1829 Synonym

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 36 records indexed .

Occurrence density from GBIF View GBIF records ↗

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