Scientific Name:

Upeneus pori

Common Name:

Por's goatfish

Taxonomic Group:

Fishes

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Information

Key Identifying Features

This is a medium-sized fish up to 19 cm in length (commonly 5–14 cm) with an elongated, moderately compressed body. It has a rounded snout with two short, thin barbels. Two well-separated dorsal fins are present; the first of them has 7 spines and the second has 8–10 soft rays, lying directly above the anal fin (which has 1 spine and 6–8 soft rays). The tail fin is deeply forked.

The back and sides of this goatfish are mottled reddish-brown and the belly is white. The tail fin lobes are striped with 3–7 reddish-brown bars with white interspaces on the upper lobe and 4–5 of the same colour on the lower lobe.

Identification and Habitat

This species is typically found in waters to a depth of 50 m on sandy, gravel and muddy seabeds. It feeds on small benthic invertebrates, mainly crustaceans and, to a lesser extent, polychaetes.

Reproduction

The spawning season for Por's goatfish lasts from March to September. The eggs and larvae are planktonic and larvae settle 6–9 months after hatching, upon reaching a length of 3–4 cm.

Similar Species Description

Five species of the family Mullidae occur in the Mediterranean: two are non-indigenous Red Sea species, the goldband goatfish Upeneus moluccensis and the brownband or Por’s goatfish U. pori; and two are the indigenous Mediterranean goatfishes, the red mullet Mullus barbatus and the striped mullet M. surmuletus. The fifth member of the family is the west African goatfish, Pseudupeneus prayensis.

Both Mullus species are easily distinguished from Por's goatfish U. pori by the lack of teeth in their upper jaws, and their steep- or very steep-sloping heads. Upeneus moluccensis has a very distinct single yellow longitudinal stripe, a lower tail lobe without dark bars, and eight dorsal spines. Pseudupeneus prayensis on the other hand, has a spine on the bony flap that covers the gills, and no stripes on the tail fin

Upeneus pori Similar Species (0010) EN — **Mullus surmuletus**

Similar Species

Scientific Name: Upeneus molluccensis

Common Name: Goldband goatfish

Taxonomic Group: Fishes

History and Route of Introduction

Por's goatfish is a western Indian Ocean species that occurs from the Red Sea to southern Oman. It entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, and was first recorded in Iskenderun (Turkey) in 1950 (as Upenoides (= Upeneus) tragula) and subsequently in Israel, Lebanon, Rhodes, Cyprus, the Aegean coast of Turkey, Egypt, Libya, southern Tunisia, and even in the lagoon of Bizerte, a brackish area in north-eastern Tunisia. It is now very abundant in the Levant.

Ecological Impacts

Each of the Mullidae species occupies a different, depth-related habitat; however, interaction and possible competition between them for the same prey (small crustaceans, molluscs, etc.) might occur. High densities of the non-indigenous Upeneus moluccensis and U. pori might therefore displace the native species (Mullus spp.).

Economic Impacts

Por’s goatfish is a commercially important demersal species in the eastern Mediterranean, especially for the small-scale fishing sector in places such as Rhodes and Turkey. The reduction in catches of native goatfishes (red mullet and striped mullet) and its possible correlation with the non-indigenous species have not yet been assessed.

Management Options

These include a) early eradication of new populations by MPA technicians through fishing, and b) maintenance of healthy and abundant assemblages of top predators to encourage natural control through predation.