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 13 Oct 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

Goldsaddle Goatfish, Parupeneus cyclostomus (Lacépède 1801)

References


Allan, R. 2002. Australian Fish and How to Catch Them. Sydney : New Holland Publishers (Australia) 394 pp. 

Allen, G.R. 1985. Fishes of Western Australia. Book 9. pp. 2207-2534 526 pls in Burgess, W.E. & Axelrod, H.R. (eds). Pacific Marine Fishes. Neptune, New Jersey : T.F.H. Publications. 

Allen, G.R. 1993. Fishes of Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 44: 67-91 

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. 

Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp. 

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp. 

Allen, G.R. & Russell, B.C. 1986. Part VII Fishes. pp. 79-103 in Berry, P.F. (ed.). Faunal Surveys of the Rowley Shoals, Scott Reef and Seringapatam Reef, northwestern Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 25: 1-106 

Allen, G.R. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21 

Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & Kailola, P.J. 1984. Trawled Fishes of Southern Indonesia and Northwest Australia. Jakarta : Dir. Gen. Fish. (Indonesia), German Tech. Coop., Aust. Dev. Ass. Bur. 406 pp. 

Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp. 

Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S.J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Checklist and new records of Christmas Island fishes: the influence of isolation, biogeography and habitat availability on species abundance and community composition. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 184–202 https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/rbz/supplement-no-30/

Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S .J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Fishes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands: new records, community composition and biogeographic significance. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 203–219 https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/rbz/supplement-no-30/


Hoschke, A., Whisson, G. & Moore, G.I. 2019. Complete list of fishes from Rottnest Island. pp. 150-161 in Whisson, G. & Hoschke, A. (eds) The Rottnest Island fish book. 2nd ed. Perth : Aqua Research and Monitoring Services.

Hutchins, B. 2004. Fishes of the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 66: 343–398 

Hutchins, J.B. 1994. A survey of the nearshore reef fish fauna of Western Australia's west and south coasts — The Leeuwin Province. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 46: 1-66 figs 1-6 

Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Biodiversity of shallow reef fish assemblages in Western Australia using a rapid censusing technique. Records of the Western Australian Museum 20: 247-270 

Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3) 

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp. 

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp. 

Lacépède, B.G. 1801. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : chez Plassan Vol. 3 558 pp. 34 pls. 

Oxley, W.G., Ayling, A.M., Cheal, A.J. & Thompson, A.A. 2003. Marine surveys undertaken in the Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve, March-April 2003. Townsville : Australian Institute of Marine Science 59 pp. 

Oxley, W.G., Emslie, M., Muir, P. & Thompson, A.A. 2004. Marine surveys undertaken in the Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve, March 2004. Townsville : Australian Institute of Marine Science i-vii, 1-67 pp. 

Randall, J.E. 2001. Mullidae. pp. 3175-3200 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 5 2791-3379 pp. 

Randall, J.E. 2004. Revision of the goatfish genus Parupeneus (Perciformes: Mullidae), with descriptions of two new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes 36: 1-64 pls 1-16 

Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs. 

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs. 

Russell, B.C., Larson, H.K., Hutchins, J.B. & Allen, G.R. 2005. Reef fishes of the Sahul Shelf. The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory Supplement 1 2005: 83-105

Scharpf, C. & Lazara, K.J. 2020. Order Syngnathiformes: Families Dactylopteridae, Pegaside, Callionymidae, Draconettidae and Mullidae in The Etyfish Project: Fish Name Etymology Database, accessed `4 July 2020, https://www.etyfish.org/syngnathiformes2/

Smith-Vaniz, W.F. & Williams, I. 2016. Parupeneus cyclostomus (errata version published in 2017). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T69182011A115460002. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T69182011A69183284.en. Downloaded on 25 April 2018.

Strübin, C., Steinegger, M. & Bshary, R. 2011. On group living and collaborative hunting in the yellow saddle goatfish (Parupeneus cyclostomus). Ethology 117(11): 961-969. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2011.01966.x

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37355025

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:2-125 m

Fishing:Aquarium fish

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:50 cm TL

Species Image Gallery

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map