Goldsaddle Goatfish, Parupeneus cyclostomus (Lacépède 1801)

Other Names: Blue Goatfish, Blue Kumu, Bright Goatfish, Bright-saddled Goatfish, Golden Spotted Goatfish, Gold-saddle Goatfish, Gold-saddled Goatfish, Red Mullet, Surmullet, Yellow Goatfish, Yellow Saddle Goatfish, Yellow-saddle Goatfish

A Goldsaddle Goatfish, Parupeneus cyclostomus, at the Coral Castles, west side of Osprey Reef, Coral Sea, November 2006. Source: Erik Schlogl / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:

A yellowish-grey goatfish with bright blue scale margins, and a large bright yellow saddle covering on the upper half of the caudal peduncle. Some individuals are entirely yellow, and juveniles are brown with a golden spot on the caudal peduncle and blue lines on the head.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2020, Parupeneus cyclostomus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 25 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/589

Goldsaddle Goatfish, Parupeneus cyclostomus (Lacépède 1801)

More Info

Distribution	Rottnest Island to offshore reefs of north Western Australia, and Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, to at least Sydney, New South Wales, including reefs in the Coral Sea; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the Indo-west-central Pacific from the Red Sea and East Africa eastward to the Hawaiian Islands and French Polynesia, north to the Ryukyu and Ogasawa islands, Japan, and south to Australia. Inhabits coral, rocky or rubble areas on reef flats, lagoons, and seaward reefs at depths to 125 m.
Features	Dorsal fin VIII + I, 7. Pectoral fin 15-17; Gill rakers 6-7 + 22-26 = 29-33. Body depth 3.25-3.8 in SL (body deeper with growth); head length (HL) 2.85-3.1 in SL; snout long, its length 1.61.8 in HL; eye small, the orbit diameter 5.3-8.95 in HL (SL 118-392 mm); barbels very long, 1.15 in HL to longer than head; longest dorsal spine 1.5-1.7 in HL; penultimate dorsal ray 1.1-1.2 in length of last dorsal ray; pectoral-fin length 1.5-1.7 in HL; pelvic-fin length 1.35-1.55 in HL.
Colour	Large adults yellowish-grey with bright blue scale edges (except ventrally), the edges more broadly blue posteriorly; a large, hemispherical, saddle-like, yellow spot covering most of upper half of caudal peduncle; region around eye yellow with radiating short narrow blue bands; caudal fin with longitudinal blue bands; second dorsal and anal fins with narrow oblique blue bands; a second smaller color phase entirely yellow, the dorsal peduncular spot sometimes apparent by being brighter yellow than rest of body.
Feeding	Feeds on small fishes, crustaceans, peanut worms, shrimps, crabs, octopus, and small gastropod molluscs. Adults feed mostly on fishes and sometimes hunt together in groups.
Fisheries	Fished in parts of its range, and sometimes collected for the aquarium industry.
Remarks	Individuals may undertake cooperative group hunting of mobile prey.
Etymology	The specific name cyclostomus is from the Greek kyklos (= circle), and stoma (= mouth) in reference to the open mouth, described as forming a “very large portion of a circle”.
Species Citation	Mullus cyclostomus Lacépède 1801, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons 3: 383, 404, pl. 14(3). Type locality: Mauritius (original type locality uncertain)
Author	Bray, D.J. 2020
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Goldsaddle Goatfish, Parupeneus cyclostomus (Lacépède 1801)

References

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