The goatfishes are

perciform Perciformes (), also called the Percomorpha or Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-finned fish. If considered a single order, they are the most numerous order of vertebrates, containing about 41% of all bony fish. Perciformes means " ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% ...

of the family Mullidae. The family is also sometimes referred to as the red mullets, which also refers more narrowly to the genus '' Mullus''. The family name and the English common name mullet derived from Latin ''mullus'', the red mullet; other than the red mullet and the

striped red mullet The striped red mullet or surmullet (''Mullus surmuletus'') is a species of goatfish found in the Mediterranean Sea, eastern North Atlantic Ocean, and the Black Sea. They can be found in water as shallow as or as deep as depending upon the por ...

or surmullet, the English word "mullet" generally refers to a different family of fish, the

Mugilidae The mullets or grey mullets are a family (Mugilidae) of ray-finned fish found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and some species in fresh water. Mullets have served as an important source of food in Mediterranean Europe since ...

or gray mullets.''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...

''
''s.v.'' 'mullet'
/ref>

Description

Goatfish are characterized by two chin barbels (or

goatee A goatee is a style of facial hair incorporating hair on one's chin but not the cheeks. The exact nature of the style has varied according to time and culture. Description Until the late 20th century, the term ''goatee'' was used to refer sol ...

), which contain chemosensory organs and are used to probe the sand or holes in the reef for food. Their bodies are deep and elongated, with forked tails and widely separated

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

s. The first dorsal fin has 6-8 spines; the second dorsal has one spine and 8-9 soft rays, shorter than anal fin. Spines in anal fin 1 or 2, with 5-8 soft rays. They have 24 vertebrae. Many goatfish are brightly colored. The largest species, the

dash-and-dot goatfish The dash-and-dot goatfish (''Parupeneus barberinus'') is a species of goatfish native to the Indian and Pacific oceans. Description The dash-and-dot goatfish has the twin chin barbels typical of goatfishes. The body color is white with a ...

(''Parupeneus barberinus''), grows to in length; most species are less than half this size. Within the family are six

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial ...

and about 86

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

Genera

These genera are classified as belonging to the Mullidae: * '' Mulloidichthys'' Whitley, 1929 * '' Mullus''

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, t ...

, 1758 * ''

Parupeneus ''Parupeneus'' is a genus of goatfishes native to the Indian and Pacific oceans. Species There are currently 32 recognized species in this genus: * ''Parupeneus angulatus Randall & Heemstra, 2009 * ''Parupeneus barberinoides'' (Bleeker, 18 ...

'' Bleeker, 1863 * '' Pseudupeneus'' Bleeker, 1862 * ''

Upeneichthys ''Upeneichthys'' is a genus of goatfishes native to the Indian and Pacific coasts of Australia. Species There are currently three recognized species in this genus: * '' Upeneichthys lineatus'' Bloch & Schneider Schneider may refer to: Ho ...

'' Bleeker, 1853 * ''

Upeneus ''Upeneus'' is a genus of goatfishes native to the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. Species These are the currently recognized species in this genus: References Mullidae Marine fish genera Perciformes genera Taxa named by ...

Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...

, 1829

Distribution and habitat

Goatfish are distributed worldwide in tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters, in a range of habitats. Most species are associated with the bottom of the

littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...

, but some species of ''

'' can be deep; for example, the goatfish '' Upeneus davidaromi'' can be found at depths of . Tropical goatfish live in association with coral reefs. Some species, such as the freckled goatfish (''Upeneus tragula''), enter

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environme ...

and

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

s, although not to any great extent.

Ecology

Goatfish are

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

feeders, using a pair of long chemosensory barbels (whiskers) protruding from their chins to feel through the sediments in search of prey. They feed on

worm Worms are many different distantly related bilateral animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes (though not always). Worms vary in size from microscopic to over in length for marine polychaete worm ...

crustacea Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean gro ...

ns, molluscs and other small

invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

s. Other fish shadow the active goatfish, waiting patiently for any overlooked prey. For example, in Indonesia large schools of the goldsaddle goatfish (''Parupeneus cyclostomus'') and moray eels hunt together. This behavior is known as shadow feeding or cooperative hunting. By day, many goatfish will form large

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compu ...

s of inactive (nonfeeding) fish; these aggregates may contain both conspecifics and heterospecifics. For example, the yellowfin goatfish (''

Mulloidichthys vanicolensis The yellowfin goatfish (''Mulloidichthys vanicolensis'') is a species of goatfish native to the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Description ''M. vanicolensis'' can reach a maximum length of . The back is red-orange, while the flanks and th ...

'') is often seen congregating with

bluestripe snapper The common bluestripe snapper (''Lutjanus kasmira''), bluestripe snapper, bluebanded snapper, bluestripe sea perch, fourline snapper, blue-line snapper or moonlighter, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lut ...

s (''Lutjanus kasmira''). All goatfish have the ability to change their coloration depending on their current activity. One notable example, the diurnal goldsaddle goatfish (''Parupeneus cyclostomus'') can change from a lemon-yellow to a pale cream whilst feeding.

Mimicry

Goatfish have the ability to rapidly change color, and many species adopt a pale coloration when resting on the sand to blend with the background and become less visible to predators. These changes in color are reversible phenotypic changes and happen within seconds, many times during the lifespan of an individual. Two species, the mimic goatfish ('' Mulloidichthys mimicus'') and Ayliffe's goatfish ('' Mulloidichthys ayliffe'') have evolved to mimic the blue-striped snapper (''

Lutjanus kasmira The common bluestripe snapper (''Lutjanus kasmira''), bluestripe snapper, bluebanded snapper, bluestripe sea perch, fourline snapper, blue-line snapper or moonlighter, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lut ...

''), with which they often form schools. These are slow, genetic changes that have occurred during their evolution over many generations.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Goatfish are pelagic spawners; they release many buoyant eggs into the water, which become part of the

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a cr ...

. The eggs float freely with the currents until hatching. The larvae drift in oceanic waters or in the outer shelf for a period of 4–8 weeks until they metamorphose and develop barbels. Soon thereafter, most species take on a bottom-feeding lifestyle, although other species remain in the open water as juveniles or feed on plankton. Juvenile goatfish often prefer soft bottoms, in seagrass beds to mangroves. They change habitat preference as they develop, coinciding with changes in feeding habits, social behavior, and the formation of association with other species. Most species reach reproductive maturity after 1-2 years.

Economic importance

Goatfish species are an important fishery in many areas of the world and some species are economically important. In ancient Rome until the end of the second century BCE, two species of goatfish ('' Mullus barbatus'' and '' Mullus surmuletus'') were highly sought-after and expensive, not as a delicacy, but for aesthetic pleasure, since the fish assume a variety of colors and shades also during death. Therefore, it was paramount to serve the fish live and let them die before the eyes of the guests.Andrews, Alfred C. (1949). "The Roman Craze for Surmullets". ''The Classical Weekly'' 42 (12). Miami. 186–88.

Timeline

ImageSize = width:1000px height:auto barincrement:15px PlotArea = left:10px bottom:50px top:10px right:10px Period = from:-65.5 till:10 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:-65.5 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:-65.5 TimeAxis = orientation:hor AlignBars = justify Colors = #legends id:CAR value:claret id:ANK value:rgb(0.4,0.3,0.196) id:HER value:teal id:HAD value:green id:OMN value:blue id:black value:black id:white value:white id:cenozoic value:rgb(0.54,0.54,0.258) id:paleogene value:rgb(0.99,0.6,0.32) id:paleocene value:rgb(0.99,0.65,0.37) id:eocene value:rgb(0.99,0.71,0.42) id:oligocene value:rgb(0.99,0.75,0.48) id:neogene value:rgb(0.999999,0.9,0.1) id:miocene value:rgb(0.999999,0.999999,0) id:pliocene value:rgb(0.97,0.98,0.68) id:quaternary value:rgb(0.98,0.98,0.5) id:pleistocene value:rgb(0.999999,0.95,0.68) id:holocene value:rgb(0.999,0.95,0.88) BarData= bar:eratop bar:space bar:periodtop bar:space bar:NAM1 bar:space bar:period bar:space bar:era PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 shift:(7,-4) bar:periodtop from: -65.5 till: -55.8 color:paleocene text:

Paleocene The Paleocene, ( ) or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek ''pal ...

from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text:

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but ...

from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text:

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...

from: -5.332 till: -2.588 color:pliocene text: Plio. from: -2.588 till: -0.0117 color:pleistocene text: Pleist. from: -0.0117 till: 0 color:holocene text: H. bar:eratop from: -65.5 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text:

Paleogene The Paleogene ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene; informally Lower Tertiary or Early Tertiary) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of ...

from: -23.03 till: -2.588 color:neogene text:

Neogene The Neogene ( ), informally Upper Tertiary or Late Tertiary, is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period Mya. ...

from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text: Q. PlotData= align:left fontsize:M mark:(line,white) width:5 anchor:till align:left color:miocene bar:NAM1 from: -23.03 till: 0 text: Mullus PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 bar:period from: -65.5 till: -55.8 color:paleocene text:

from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:

from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text:

from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text:

from: -5.332 till: -2.588 color:pliocene text: Plio. from: -2.588 till: -0.0117 color:pleistocene text: Pleist. from: -0.0117 till: 0 color:holocene text: H. bar:era from: -65.5 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text:

from: -23.03 till: -2.588 color:neogene text:

from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text: Q.

Gallery

Image:Parupeneus_insularis.jpg, ''

Parupeneus insularis ''Parupeneus'' is a genus of goatfishes native to the Indian and Pacific oceans. Species There are currently 32 recognized species in this genus: * ''Parupeneus angulatus Randall & Heemstra, 2009 * '' Parupeneus barberinoides'' (Bleeker, 185 ...

'' Image:Mulloidichthys flavolineatus .jpg, ''

Mulloidichthys flavolineatus The yellowstripe goatfish (''Mulloidichthys flavolineatus'') is a species of goatfish native to the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. The fish is known as Weke 'a'a in Hawaiian. Description The species' color ranges from grey to white on ...

'' off the coast of Kona, Hawaii Image:Yellow striped goatfish ( Parupeneus chrysopleuron ).jpg, A school of yellow-striped goatfish (''

Parupeneus chrysopleuron ''Parupeneus'' is a genus of goatfishes native to the Indian and Pacific oceans. Species There are currently 32 recognized species in this genus: * ''Parupeneus angulatus Randall & Heemstra, 2009 * '' Parupeneus barberinoides'' (Bleeker, 1852 ...

'') and whitesaddle goatfish (''

Parupeneus ciliatus ''Parupeneus'' is a genus of goatfishes native to the Indian and Pacific oceans. Species There are currently 32 recognized species in this genus: * ''Parupeneus angulatus Randall & Heemstra, 2009 * '' Parupeneus barberinoides'' (Bleeker, 1852 ...

'') searching food on the sandy bottom, northeast coast, Taiwan Image:Whitesaddle goatfish 2.jpg, Whitesaddle goatfish (''

'') searching food by digging the sandy bottom of Long-Dong Bay, Taiwan Image:Whitesaddle goatfish 1.jpg, Two whitesaddle goatfish (''

'') searching food by using a pair of long chemosensory barbels on the sandy bottom of Long-Dong Bay, Taiwan

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q470850 Percoidei Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque