''Parupeneus cyclostomus'', the gold-saddle goatfish, blue goatfish or yellowsaddle goatfish, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

goatfish The goatfishes are perciform fish of the family Mullidae. The family is also sometimes referred to as the red mullets, which also refers more narrowly to the genus ''Mullus''. The family name and the English common name mullet derived from Lati ...

native to the Indo-Pacific. It is a

commercially Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...

important species, as well as being sought out as a

game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commerciall ...

, though it has been reported as carrying the

ciguatera Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), also known simply as ciguatera, is a foodborne illness caused by eating reef fish whose flesh is contaminated with certain toxins. Such individual fish are said to be ciguatoxic. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomi ...

toxin. It can also be found in the

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

trade.

Description

This fish is usually colored yellow with a bluish sheen to the dorsal part, but with a golden yellow variant.Siliotti, A. (2002) ''fishes of the red sea'' Verona, Geodia It can reach in total length, though most do not exceed .

Habitat and distribution

It occurs solitarily or in groups, in all areas of the

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

s and

detrital Detritus (; adj. ''detrital'' ) is particles of rock derived from pre-existing rock through weathering and erosion.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Ed, Stephen Marshak, p G-7 A fragment of detritus is called a clast.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Ed, Stephen ...

bottom area from 1 to 95 m deep.Lieske, E. and Myers, R.F. (2004) ''Coral reef guide; Red Sea'' London, HarperCollins It uses its

barbel Barbel may refer to: *Barbel (anatomy), a whisker-like organ near the mouth found in some fish (notably catfish, loaches and cyprinids) and turtles *Barbel (fish), a common name for certain species of fish **''Barbus barbus'', a species of cyprinid ...

s to probe holes and force out prey. It is found in the Indo-Pacific from the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

, and the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...

Synonyms

Several other names have been applied to this species that have been subsequently determined to be junior synonyms: * ''Mullus cyclostomus'' Lacépède, 1801 * ''Pseudupeneus cyclostomus'' (Lacépède, 1801) * ''Mullus chryserydros'' Lacépède, 1801 * ''Parupeneus chryserydros'' (Lacépède, 1801) * ''Mullus radiatus'' G. Shaw, 1803 * ''Upeneus immaculatus'' E. T. Bennett, 1831 * ''Upeneus luteus'' Valenciennes, 1831 * ''Parupeneus luteus'' (Valenciennes, 1831) * ''Upeneus oxycephalus'' Bleeker, 1856 * ''Upeneus chryserythrus'' Günther, 1873 * ''Parupeneus xanthospilurus'' Bleeker, 1875 * ''Mullus microps'' Bliss, 1883 * ''Upeneus saffordi'' Seale, 1901 * ''Pseudupeneus aurantiacus'' Seale, 1906 Image:Parupeneus cyclostomos.jpg, Yellow variant,

Gulf of Aqaba The Gulf of Aqaba ( ar, خَلِيجُ ٱلْعَقَبَةِ, Khalīj al-ʿAqabah) or Gulf of Eilat ( he, מפרץ אילת, Mifrátz Eilát) is a large gulf at the northern tip of the Red Sea, east of the Sinai Peninsula and west of the Arabian ...

, Red Sea

References

External links

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q478676 cyclostomus Marine fauna of East Africa Fish of the Red Sea Fish of Hawaii Fish described in 1801