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| Phylum Chordata > Subphylum Vertebrate > fishes |
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Freckled
goatfish
Upeneus tragula Family Mullidae updated Aug 10 Where
seen? This well-camouflaged fish is sometimes seen on
silty sandy shores near seagrasses. It may be common but just overlooked.
It is considered the most widespread goatfish in the tropical Indo-Pacific.
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 Pulau Senang, Aug 10 |
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| What
are goatfishes? Goatfishes belong to Family Mullidae. According
to FishBase:
the family has 6 genera and 55 species in the Atlantic, Indian, and
Pacific Oceans. There are two long barbels on the chin, which contain
chemosensory organs and are used to probe the sand or holes in the
reef for bottom-dwelling animals or small fish. The barbels are also
used by males during courtship of females. When not in use, the barbels
are tucked away tightly under the chin. These fishes can change their
colours with mood and during the day and night. Juveniles may look
very different from adults. Features: Up to 30cm long, those seen about 4-8cm long. Body long and somewhat cylindrical, with a blunt snout. The pair of barbels under the chin is hard to spot from above on a resting fish. Those seen tend to have broad dark bars across the body. In some, the forked tail had darkish bands. Accounts suggest these fishes come in a wide variety of colours and patterns. From red, to irregular dots and blotches on body; brown-blackish stripe from snout to tail fin. Adults with dark tips on both dorsal fins and typically with several yellow spots in the dark tip of the first dorsal fin. When resting on the bottom, they tend to be red and spotted, both during day or night. When swimming about to feed, they are light colored with a black stripe along the body. It is also called the Bar-tailed goatfish and Black-striped goatfish. What does it eat? It feeds on bottom dwelling such as worms, shrimps, crabs, snails and clams, echinoderms and little fishes. Human uses: Large ones are eaten as food fish. |
 Tanah Merah, Jun 09  Pair of barbels under the chin |
Freckled goatfishes on Singapore shores
 Changi, Jul 08 |
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 A pair of barbels under the chin |
 Pulau Semakau, Sep 05 |
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 Sisters Island, May 09 |
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| Family
Mullidae recorded for Singapore from Wee Y.C. and Peter K. L. Ng. 1994. A First Look at Biodiversity in Singapore. *From FishBase.
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Links
References
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Periplus Editions. 292 pp.|
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