Pseudupeneus maculatus
Spotted Goatfish
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Mullidae (Goatfishes)
Pseudupeneus
Pseudupeneus maculatus (Spotted Goatfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Oblong body shape, small spine on opercular margin, jaw teeth villiform in two irregular series with some outer row teeth enlarged and curved outward in adults, gill rakers on first arch 26-32, pectoral fin rays 13-16, first dorsal fin VIII spines, second dorsal fin I,8 rays, anal fin II,6 rays, lateral line scales 27-31. Measurements (% SL): head length 30%-34%, snout length 16%-18%, eye diameter 6%-9%, upper jaw length 11%-12%, pectoral fin length 20%-24%, body depth 25%-28%.
Pale with reddish scale edges, darker dorsally, silvery on sides and ventrally, diagonal blue lines on head, three dark blotches on lateral line (behind opercular margin, below first dorsal fin, and below second dorsal fin), occasionally yellow stripes on lower flank.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from New Jersey and Bermuda to Brazil, including the entire Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles.
Habitat Associations
Coastal waters to about 50 m, associated with sandy and rocky bottoms near reefs.
Juveniles associated with grass beds.
Biology
Food consists of sand-dwelling polychaetes and crustaceans.
Maximum known size is 300 mm TL.
Inhabits shallow waters to depths of 90 m (Ref. 9626), especially over sand and rock bottoms in reef areas. Young juveniles often found on beds of seagrass, e.g. Thalassia. Feeds on small invertebrates (Ref. 9626). Flesh highly esteemed; marketed fresh and frozen (Ref. 3792). Traded as an aquarium fish at Ceará, Brazil (Ref. 49392).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Spawnng may either be in pairs or in small groups (Ref. 240).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-01-29. Resilience: Medium (K=0.2-0.7;).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Randall 2002a
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Johnson 1978
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Cervigón 1993a
Cervigón 1993b
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Thresher, R.E. (1984) Reproduction in reef fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Neptune City, New Jersey. 399 p.
Vergara, R. and J.E. Randall (1978) Mullidae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Central Atlantic (Fishing Area 31). Vol. 3. pag.var.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Cervigón, F. (1993) Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 2. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 497 p.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
Patzner, R.A. (2008) Reproductive strategies of fish. pp. 311-350. In Rocha, M.J., A. Arukwe and B.G. Kapoor (eds). Fish reproduction: cytology, biology and ecology. Science Publisher, Inc. Oxford. 631 p.
Comments On Pseudupeneus maculatus