Teleostei (teleosts) >
Mulliformes (Goatfishes) >
Mullidae (Goatfishes)
Etymology: Mulloidichthys: Latin, mullus = soft + Greek, ichthys = fish (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Lacepède.
Issue
The subspecies Mulloidichthys flaviolineatus flavicaudus Fernandez-Silva & Randall, 2016 remains in the synonymy of Mulloidichthys flavolineatus; the two subspecies can be at best understood as two well-differentiated populations, in Uiblein et al., 2020 (Ref. 123209:148).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 99 m (Ref. 123209). Tropical; 30°N - 37°S, 22°E - 124°W
Indo-Pacific: Red Sea, East and South Africa, Madagascar and Mascarenes to the Hawaiian Is., Line Is. and Pitcairn Group; north to southern Japan and Midway Is.; south to Australia (North West Cape, WA, Eastern Australia, NSW) at 36°S, Lord Howe I. and New Caledonia; one record from New Zealand. Common throughout most of its range (Ref. 9710).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 20.8, range 12 - ? cm
Max length : 43.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9710); common length : 25.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 30573); max. published weight: 423.30 g (Ref. 121845)
Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 7. Back grey to olive, sides and belly whitish; 1-2 longitudinal yellow bands; dark blotch below 1st dorsal fin (Ref. 5405). Yellow-mid-lateral stripe from eye to tail and some yellow striping on cheek and along abdomen (Ref. 48636). Head length 3.1-3.5 in SL, length of snout 1.9.-2.2 and barbel 1.4-1.7 in HL. Body depth 3.7-4.8 in SL. (Ref. 90102)
Occasionally schooling species inhabit shallow sandy areas of lagoon and seaward reefs (Ref. 9710). Large adults are often found solitary on sand slopes with other species following to feed on prey that are disturbed when the goatfish is feeding (Ref. 48636). Benthopelagic (Ref. 58302). Feed on crustaceans, mollusks, worms, heart urchins and foraminiferans. Consumed fresh or dried. Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 30874.
Myers, R.F., 1991. Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p. (Ref. 1602)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Reports of ciguatera poisoning (Ref. 130160)
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial; bait: usually
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 24.5 - 29, mean 27.8 °C (based on 1256 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5078 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01072 (0.00935 - 0.01228), b=3.09 (3.05 - 3.13), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.8 ±0.3 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.16-0.27).
Prior r = 0.57, 95% CL = 0.37 - 0.85, Based on 2 data-limited stock assessments.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (39 of 100).
Climate Vulnerability (Ref.
125649): Moderate to high vulnerability (46 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 41.7 [22.8, 67.6] mg/100g; Iron = 0.474 [0.224, 0.798] mg/100g; Protein = 18.8 [17.0, 20.5] %; Omega3 = 0.159 [0.108, 0.280] g/100g; Selenium = 34.4 [21.0, 57.4] μg/100g; VitaminA = 91.6 [32.7, 311.0] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.01 [0.64, 1.39] mg/100g (wet weight);
