Upeneus molluccensis
Information
The goldband goatfish is found in coastal waters with muddy and sandy substrates at depths of 20-130 m, where it forms large schools. It usually swims fast, stopping briefly to feed on benthic animals detected by the barbels on its chin.
The spawning season extends from the end of July to October.
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 the goldband goatfish U. moluccensis by the lack of teeth in their upper jaws, and their steep- or very steep-sloping heads. Upeneus pori has no yellow longitudinal stripe; both tail fin lobes are striped; and it has seven dorsal spines. Pseudupeneus prayensis has a spine on the bony flap that covers the gills, and no stripes on the tail fin.
The goldband goatfish is an Indo-West Pacific species recorded from the Red Sea to New Caledonia, and north to Japan. Introduced to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, it was first recorded in Palestine in 1947 (as Mulloides auriflamma) and subsequently in Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Rhodes, Egypt, Cyprus and Libya. The goldband goatfish is now very abundant along the Levant coasts.
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. The non-indigenous mullets occupy shallow waters (20–30 m in depth), whereas the indigenous species dominate greater depths. High densities of the nonindigenous Upeneus moluccensis and U. pori might therefore displace the native species (Mullus spp.).
Conversely, the goldband goatfish is reported to be one of the prey species consumed by Saurida undosquamis, another Red Sea migrant.
The goldband goatfish is commercially important in trawl fisheries in the Levant Sea. It is sold fresh in markets, or utilized for fish meal. In the eastern Mediterranean, the two non-native Upeneus species account for a significant proportion of commercial Mullidae catches. However, there are no precise data for the annual catch of goldband goatfish. Fishermen normally find it difficult to separate goatfishes into different species and so they are considered to be a single catch category in most fishery statistics.
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.
Ozvarol Z.A.B. et al., 2010. Growth and Reproduction of Goldband Goatfish (Upeneus moluccensis Bleeker (1855)) from the Gulf of Antalya (Turkey). J. Animal and Veterinary Advances, Vol. 9, Iss. 5, 939-945.
