• Home
• About Fishes
• Fish Department
• Collections
• What's new
• Find a fish
  • Species name
  • Common name
  • Type of fish
  • Glossary
• Identify a fish
• Student stuff
• FAQs
• Fish movies
• Fish links

Find a Fish

Black-spot Goatfish
Parupeneus spilurus (Bleeker, 1854)

A Black-spot Goatfish at South Solitary Island, New South Wales, April 2000. View larger image.

A Black-spot Goatfish at a depth of 10m, Julian Rocks, New South Wales. View larger image.

The Black-spot Goatfish can be recognised by its colouration and pattern. It has two dark stripes along the sides of the body, and a large black spot on the upper caudal peduncle. Juveniles are more slender than adults. They have the same striped pattern but are more strongly tinged with yellow.

Black-spot Goatfish live in coastal reefs and estuaries. They are seen as single individuals or in small schools.

This species has an antitropical distribution (it is found in the temperate zones of the northern and southern hemisphere, but not in the tropics) being recorded from Japan, New Caledonia, New Zealand and Australia. In Australia, this species is recorded from the east coast, from central Queensland south to Bass Strait, and on the west coast, from central to south-western Western Australia.

The Black-spot Goatfish is listed in many popular fish books as Parupeneus signatus (Günther, 1867).

Further reading

1. Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
2. Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Crawford House Press. Pp. 437.
3. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.