Freckled goatfish
Upeneus tragula
Yellow goatfish
Mulloidichthys martinicus
About
A single bold yellow stripe runs the length of this goatfish, from eye to tail, making it easy to pick out over a sandy reef. Most reach about 28 cm long, though some grow to 44.8 cm.
- Length
- 28 cm · max 44.8 cm
- Depth
- 0–35 m
How to tell it apart
It often schools alongside the smallmouth grunt, which looks similar at a glance. The giveaway is the pair of chin barbels: goatfish always have them, grunts never do.
Appearance
Its body is pale tan with one yellow stripe running from the eye to the yellow tail fin. A pair of long, thin barbels, feeler-like whiskers, hangs from its chin and is used to search the sand for food.
Did you know?
When it hunts in a group, each fish takes on a role: some chase prey into the open while others block escape routes near the coral.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
