Yellow goatfish

The yellow goatfish (Mulloidichthys martinicus), also known as yellowsaddle, is a species of goatfish native to the Atlantic Ocean around the coasts of Africa and the Americas. This species can reach a length of 39.4 centimetres (15.5 in) TL, but most reach lengths only around 28 centimetres (11 in). They are of minor importance to local commercial fisheries, even though they have been reported to carry the ciguatera toxin.[2]

Yellow goatfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Mullidae
Genus: Mulloidichthys
Species:
M. martinicus
Binomial name
Mulloidichthys martinicus
(G. Cuvier, 1829)
Synonyms
  • Upeneus martinicus G. Cuvier, 1829
  • Mulloides martinicus (G. Cuvier, 1829)

Habits

Yellow goatfish are benthic feeders, using a pair of long chemosensory barbels ("whiskers") protruding from their chins to rifle through the sediments in search of a meal. They usually feed on smaller fish, hunting in a school during the day, and alone at night.[3] Yellow goatfish can live solitary or in similar-sized groups, sometimes switching between groups. When hunting in groups, each goatfish can be either a chaser, directly attacking prey or as a blocker, surrounding prey hiding in coral.[4]

Distribution

The yellow goatfish can be found on reefs in the tropical waters in the Atlantic around the United States, in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and around Cape Verde.[2]

References
  1. Dooley, J.; Collette, B.B.; Aiken, K.A.; et al. (2015). "Mulloidichthys martinicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T190429A1951474. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T190429A1951474.en. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). "Mulloidichthys martinicus" in FishBase. December 2013 version.
  3. "The Marine Center: Yellow Goatfish". The Marine Center. 1994–2009. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  4. Parisky, Katherine. (2012). “Yellow Saddle Goatfish Are Team Players” in Journal of Experimental Biology, 215(5). Retrieved 8 November 2018.


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