Parupeneus forsskali (Fourmanoir & Guézé, 1976)
Red Sea goatfish
Parupeneus forsskali
photo by Field, R.

Family:  Mullidae (Goatfishes)
Max. size:  28 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 275.3 g
Environment:  reef-associated; brackish; marine; depth range 1 - 45 m
Distribution:  Indian Ocean: Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden and recorded from Socotra (Ref. 54393). Suez canal migrant and now established in the eastern Mediterranean.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 8-8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-9; Anal soft rays: 7-7. Diagnosis: Pectoral rays 14-17 (usually 16). Gill rakers 7-9 + 23-26 (total 30-34). Body relatively elongate, the depth 3.65-4.2 in SL; head length (HL) 2.9-3.25 in SL; snout length 1.7-1.9 in HL; barbel length 1.4-1.5 in HL; longest dorsal spine 1.5-1.7 in HL; penultimate dorsal ray 1.15-1.25 in length of last dorsal ray; pectoral-fin length 1.4-1.65 in HL; pelvic-fin length 1.4-1.6 in HL. A broad black stripe is present from side of upper lip through eye along upper side of body, ending beneath posterior part of second dorsal fin; body above stripe grayish green, the scale edges yellow; body below stripe white, the scale edges narrowly reddish; caudal peduncle yellow dorsally with an irregular roundish black spot, mostly above lateral line; caudal fin yellow; second dorsal and anal fins with narrow blue and yellow stripes; peritoneum pale (Ref. 54393).
Biology:  The most common goatfish in shallow water in the Red Sea. Usually found on sand bottoms near coral reefs (Ref. 3470). Feeds on invertebrates that live on sand (Ref. 13550).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 12 August 2019 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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