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Dash-dot Goatfish
Parupeneus barberinus (Lacépède, 1801)

A Dash-dot Goatfish at a depth of 20 m, Steve's bommie, Ribbon reef #3, off Cooktown, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, December 2001. Photo © E. Schlögl. View larger image.

The Dash-dot Goatfish has a pale whitish body with a dark stripe that extends from the mouth, through the eye and along the upper side of the fish. There is a large black spot on the caudal peduncle.

This species grows to 50 cm in length.

The Dash-dot Goatfish inhabits lagoons and seaward reefs and is most commonly seen over large sandy and rubbly areas. It occurs in groups or as solitary individuals during the day. At night it is solitary, resting on the bottom.

The Dash-dot Goatfish can be found at depths of 1 m to 100 m.

During the day the Dash-dot Goatfish forages in groups for benthic crustaceans and polychaete worms. It is commonly seen probing sandy or rubbly bottoms with its barbels, which are located under the chin. The barbels contain chemosensory organs. When not in use, the barbels are tucked under a portion of the gill covers.

The Dash-dot Goatfish occurs in tropical marine waters of the Indo-Pacific region, from East Africa, north to Japan, throughout Micronesia, south to Australia and east to the Tuamoto Islands.

In Australia it is known from the north-western coast of Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country, and south to central coast of New South Wales.

View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.

Further reading

1. Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 220.
2. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 362.
3. Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian Reef Fishes. Coral Graphics. Pp. 222.
4. Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 415.