MULLIDAE


Parupeneus macronemus
(photo by Suraphong Banchongmanee)


Parupeneus macronemus
(Lacepède, 1801)
Longbarbel Goatfish

D VIII+9; A I, 7; P1 15-17 (usually 16); GR 7-9 + 27-30.

Body moderately elongate. Chin with 2 long barbels, 1.1-1.3 in head length. Single row of teeth on both jaws. Vomer and palatines lacking teeth. Second dorsal and anal fins lacking scaled area. Color: body gray to grayish red dorsally, whitish to pink ventrally, with a black stripe from eye along lateral line to anterior part of caudal peduncle; a black spot larger than eye on side of caudal peduncle about two-thirds above lateral line; 1st dorsal and caudal fins reddish gray; basal one-third to one-half of 2nd dorsal fin black. Size: attaining to 24 cm. Distribution: Indo-West Pacific, ranging from the northern Red Sea and Persian Gulf south to Natal and east to Indonesia and the Philippines. Remarks: known as an inshore species, generally found on sand and weedy substrata. (Hisashi Imamura)