Goatfish (assorted)

Goatfishes (family Mullidae) are elongated fishes named for the two long barbels on the chin. This group entry covers sightings where the species was not recorded. FishBase counts 6 genera and 106 species, and describes a forked tail, two widely separated dorsal fins and a maximum length of up to 60 cm. Many species are brightly coloured.

The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) lists Mullidae as an accepted family in the order Mulliformes, while Wikipedia places it in the order Syngnathiformes, so the higher classification differs between sources.

A conservation status is not given here, because this entry covers a whole family.

FishBase gives the family's distribution as the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, rarely in brackish water, and describes its habitat as sand-associated and shallow.

Where Divers Find Them

FishBase says the barbels are used to probe sand or holes in the reef, so sand and reef holes are the places these sources point to. SSI's Scubago page for Boga Wreck in Tulamben, Bali, says the wreck hosts reef fish including goat fish, and shows 70 goatfish under potential wildlife sightings, which it says are based on user generated content. That count is not survey data and does not say which species were seen.

FishBase says the chin barbels contain chemosensory organs and are used to probe the sand or holes in the reef for bottom-living invertebrates or small fish. It describes goatfishes as pelagic spawners.

Underwater Encounter Behavior

A goatfish working its barbels through sand or into a reef hole is feeding. The sources cited here do not describe how goatfishes react to divers.