Upeneus parvus
Dwarf Goatfish
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Mullidae (Goatfishes)
Upeneus
Upeneus parvus (Dwarf 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, narrow and concave interorbital space, relatively blunt snout, moderately convex dorsal profile of head, posterior naris oval shaped and close to anterior margin of orbit, posterior margin of maxilla extending to anterior margin of orbit, villiform upper and lower jaw teeth arranged in multiple series anteriorly and fewer series posteriorly, teeth present on vomer and palatine, 26-32 gill rakers on first arch, head length 29%-31% SL, snout length 10%-11% SL, eye diameter 7%-8% SL, upper jaw length 10%-11% SL, pectoral fin length 21%-23% SL, body depth 23%-26% SL, 15 or 16 pectoral fin rays, first dorsal fin with 7 spines, second dorsal fin with 1 spine and 8 rays, anal fin with 2 spines and 6 rays, 36-40 lateral line scales
Vermilion dorsally and silvery white ventrally, with yellow markings on flanks, dorsal fins with bronze stripes, and caudal fin with four or five oblique orangish brown to dusky or black stripes
Distribution
Western Atlantic from North Carolina to Brazil, including the entire Gulf of Mexico and the Antilles but not the Bahamas
Habitat Associations
Between 40 and 100 m depth
Muddy and sandy bottoms
Biology
Benthic invertebrates
Maximum known size is 200 mm TL
Found over mud and sand bottoms (Ref. 3792). Juveniles up to 8 cm are pelagic (Ref. 9626). Feeds mainly on benthic invertebrates (Ref. 3792). Flesh considered good quality; marketed fresh and frozen (Ref. 3792). In southwestern Brazil found in 112 m depth (Ref. 47377).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Oviparous (Ref. 101743).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-01-29. Resilience: High (K=0.36;).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial.
References
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Matsuura 1983g
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Cervigón 1993a
Cervigón 1993b
Schaldach et al. 1997
Randall 2002a
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.
Cervigón, F., R. Cipriani, W. Fischer, L. Garibaldi, M. Hendrickx, A.J. Lemus, R. Márquez, J.M. Poutiers, G. Robaina and B. Rodriguez (1992) Fichas FAO de identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca. Guía de campo de las especies comerciales marinas y de aquas salobres de la costa septentrional de Sur América. FAO, Rome. 513 p. Preparado con el financiamento de la Comisión de Comunidades Europeas y de NORAD.
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.
Uyeno, T., K. Matsuura and E. Fujii (eds.) (1983) Fishes trawled off Suriname and French Guiana. Japan Marine Fishery Resource Research Center, Tokyo, Japan. 519 p.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
Gómez-Canchong, P., L. Manjarrés M., L.O. Duarte and J. Altamar (2004) Atlas pesquero del area norte del Mar Caribe de Colombia. Universidad del Magadalena, Santa Marta. 230 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.
Watson, W. (1996) Mullidae. Goatfishes. p. 1034-1037. In H.G. Moser (ed.) The early stages of fishes in the California Current region. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) Atlas No. 33. 1505p.
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