Goatfish - Finstripe

Max length : 33.0 cm TL male/unsexed; common length : 25.0 cm TL male/unsexed

Family	Mullidae
Description	Goatfishes
Environment	Brackish & Marine
Etymology	Latin, mullus = soft
Genus	6
No. of Species	87
Order	Perciformes
Class	Actinopterygii
Reproductive Guild	Nonguarders
Distribution	Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, rarely in brackish waters. Elongated body. Dorsal fins far apart. First dorsal fin with 6-8 spines; second dorsal with one spine and 8-9 soft rays, shorter than anal fin. Spines in anal fin 1 or 2, with 5-8 soft rays. Forked caudal fin. Vertebrae 24. Chin with 2 long barbels, which contain chemosensory organs and are used to probe the sand or holes in the reef for benthic invertebrates or small fish. Many brightly colored. Pelagic spawners. Up to 60 cm maximum length. Valued as food fish. Not popular for aquaria, but do well in right settings. Mullus (Latin) = mullet. Habitat: sand-associated, shallow habitats

Nightmare Weke

Inhabits sheltered, often turbid inshore waters over sand or mud substrates; found near corals, in very shallow water, usually in small groups. Reported to cause hallucinations when eaten

Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9. This species is distinguished by the following characters: D VIII,9; pectoral fins 13-14; gill rakers 5-6 + 16-17 = 21-23; lateral line scales 35-39; body depth at first dorsal fin origin 22-25% SL and at anus 20-23% SL; caudal-peduncle depth 9.7-11% SL; maximum head depth 17-21% SL; head depth through eye 14-17% SL; head length 25-29%SL; orbit length 4.4-6.3% SL; upper jaw length 11-13% SL; barbel length 17-21% SL; caudal-fin length 28-32% SL; anal-fin height 15-17% SL; pelvic-fin length 18-20% SL; pectoral-fin length 17-20% SL; first dorsal-fin height 20-23% SL; second dorsal-fin height 14-16% SL; 9-13 (7-9 in juveniles < 10 cm SL) total bars on caudal fin, 4-8 black bars on upper caudal-fin lobe, the proximal bars slightly curved, 3-6 bars on lower lobe; the bars on both lobe tips black and other bars mostly red or brown becoming black at distal inner margins of lobes (at least the black parts are retained on preserved fish); usually 2 lateral body stripes, one pale brown at mid-body from snout or eye to caudal-fin base, while the other is shorter, fainter, and more yellowish below, from the operculum or behind pectoral-fin base, sometimes a weak third yellow stripe below it (stripes not retained in preserved fish); first dorsal-fin tip pale; yellow barbels when fresh; body pale grey, somewhat darker dorsally, with faint red patches laterally and red scale markings above upper stripe (uniformly pale brown in preserved fish)

Summary of Distribution: Indo-Pacific: East Africa to the Hawaii; north to Japan
Note: Distribution range colors indicate degree of suitability of habitat which can be interpreted as probabilities of occurrence (fishbase.org)