Upeneus brevignathus
Upeneus brevignathus Uiblein & Bailly, 2024
Shortjaw goatfish
Upeneus brevignathus
photo by NHM - NMW

Family:  Mullidae (Goatfishes)
Max. size:  9.5 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; marine
Distribution:  Western Indian Ocean: Yemen.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal fins VII + 9; pectoral fins 14-15; gill rakers 7-8 + 21-22 = 28-30; lateral-line scales 29-30; body moderately elongate; measurements as % SL: body depth at first dorsal-fin origin 23-24; body depth at anal-fin origin 20-22; cau- dal-peduncle depth 9.5-9.7; caudal-peduncle width 4.0-4.1; maximum head depth 17; head depth through eye 14; head length 27; snout length 10; orbit length 6.3; upper-jaw length 9.3-9.5; barbel length 18; caudal-fin length 28; anal-fin height 16-17; pelvic-fin length 20; pectoral-fin length 19-20; pectoral-fin width 4.4-4.5; first dorsal-fin height 18-19; dor- sal-fin spines proportionally decreasing in height; second dorsal-fin height 16; caudal fin of preserved fish with at least 9 total oblique bars, upper caudal-fin lobe with 5 dark-grey bars of about pupil width, the four most proximal bars vari- ably curved, no bar on lobe tip; lower caudal-fin lobe with at least 4 dark-grey bars of pupil width or wider, three bars from ventral margin to about mid-lobe, one at lobe tip; dor- sal fins with three grey stripes; barbels pale; body and head from snout tip dark brown-grey dorsally, pale brown ven- trally from eye level; head with a vertically oriented silvery band behind eye that widens below eye and gill cover sil- very or pale-beige silvery; no indication of mid-lateral body stripe; paired and anal fins pale-brown, partly hyaline
Biology:  The habitat is most probably shallow bottom of the upper shelf reached by traditional artisanal (Ref. 130857).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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