Dash-and-dot Goatfish - Parupeneus barberinus

Triglia linea punto Parupeneus barberinus intotheblue.it

The dash-and-dot Goatfish (Parupeneus barberinus) is a species of goatfish native to the Indian and Pacific oceans.

The dash-and-dot goatfish has the twin chin barbels typical of goatfishes. The body color is white with a black to dark brown stripe (dash) reaching from the upper lip through the eye and along the body, followed by a black spot (dot) at the base of the caudal fin. Above the stripe, the body has a yellowish tint. Dash-and-dot goatfish from deeper water will usually have red stripes and spots. They can reach a maximum length of 60 cm, making them the largest of the Mullidae family.

Triglia linea-punto nel Mediterraneo Dash-and-dot goatfish in Mediterranean Sea Parupeneus barberinus www.intotheblue.it

The dash-and-dot goatfish is considered one of the most abundant species of Parapeneus, and is found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans, the east coast of Africa, and the Gulf of Aden to Micronesia and southern Japan to Australia. It is found off reef flats and lagoons on sandy bottoms up to 100 m deep.

Dash-and-dot goatfish spend most of their time moving slowly over the bottom searching for prey with their barbels. Their diet includes worms, small crustaceans, and small fish. Triglia linea punto Parupeneus barberinus intotheblue.it

triglia linea-punto - dash-and-dot goatfish — triglia linea-punto – dash-and-dot goatfish – intotheblue.it

The mullets have a characteristic and fairly uniform appearance, with a rather elongated and tapered body, steep forehead, large eyes, two well separated dorsal fins, forked caudal fin. They have two showy barbels under the chin, chemosensory organs used to probe the sand and hiding places between rocks and corals in search of prey. The livery varies from species to species, but is often rich in bright colors, from bright red to golden yellow.

A common malformation in the mullet can appear by adding an additional small rear fin on the tail. A mullet with this particular anomaly is called Quadriglia, because of its four fins in the complex. The dimensions are rather small, ranging from 7.2 cm of Upeneus francisi to 60 cm of Parupeneus barberinus.

(extract from Wikipedia)