Teleostei (teleosts) >
Mulliformes (Goatfishes) >
Mullidae (Goatfishes)
Etymology: Upeneus: Greek, ypene, -es = upper lip (Ref. 45335); seychellensis: The name of this species seychellensis derives from the tiny distributional range currently known for this species, which is limited to a single trawling station close to the southeastern edge of the Seychelles Bank (Ref. 87809).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal. Tropical; 5°S - 6°S, 56°E - 57°E
Western Indian Ocean: Seychelles Bank.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 10.6 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 87809); 11.7 cm SL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal fins VII+9; pectoral-fin rays 14-15; gill rakers 7+18-19=25-26; lateral-line scales 29-31; measurements in % SL: body depth at first dorsal-fin origin 20-22; body depth at anus 18-19; caudal-peduncle depth 9.2-9.6; maximum head depth 18-20; head length 27-30; caudal-fin length 28-30; anal-fin height 14-15; pelvic-fin length 20-21; pectoral-fin length 21; pectoral-fin width 3.9-4.2; first dorsal-fin height 19-20; total bars on caudal fin 5, all on upper caudal-fin lobe, with 4 red bars distally from fork and one red bar close to fin base; lower caudal-fin lobe with a broad carmine stripe bordered by a thin white margin dorsally and by a wider pale margin ventrally; lower caudal-lobe tip black; dorsal fins pale with reddish stripes; fin pigmentation not retained in preserved fish apart from remains of lower caudal-fin lobe tip and upper caudal-fin lobe bars; barbells pale reddish; body and head dorsally reddish, snout reddish, lateral and ventral side of body and head white in fresh fish; entire body uniformly pale beige in preserved fish, with a weak pale brown mid-body band (Ref. 87809).
Body shape (shape guide): fusiform / normal.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Uiblein, F. and P.C. Heemstra, 2011. A new goatfish, Upeneus seychellensis sp. nov. (Mullidae), from the Seychelles Bank, with remarks on Upeneus guttatus and a key to Western Indian Ocean Upeneus species. Marine Biology Research 7:637-650. (Ref. 87809)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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