Yellowfin Goatfish, Mulloidichthys vanicolensis
Yellowfin Goatfish, Mulloidichthys vanicolensis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Oahu, Hawaii, July 2017. Length: 10 cm (3.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).
Yellowfin Goatfish, Mulloidichthys vanicolensis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, February 2016. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Kenneth Tse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The Yellowfin Goatfish, Mulloidichthys vanicolensis, is a member of the Goatfish or Mullidae Family, and is known in Mexico as chivao aleta amarilla, and locally as chivato. Globally, there are six species in the genus Mulloidichthys, of which three are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and two in the Pacific Ocean.
The Yellowfin Goatfish has an elongated, cylindrical, and slightly compressed body. The undersides of their head and body are nearly flat. They are yellow to greenish yellow dorsally transitioning to whitish ventrally. They have a broad bright yellow mid-lateral stripe with thin blue stripes immediately above and below that run from the eye to the caudal fin. Their caudal fin is bright yellow. Their head has a blunt snout, their eyes are set high on the head and their mouth is small and protrusible with small villiform or conical teeth and have 2 long barbels on their chin. Their anal fin has 1 or 2 spines and 6 rays; their first dorsal fin has 8 spines; their caudal fin is forked; their second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 8 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 16 or 17 rays. They have 31 to 36 gill rakers. They are covered with large rough scales.
The Yellowfin Goatfish inhabits coral and rocky reefs and adjacent sand and rubble bottoms from the intertidal zone to depths up to 115 m (375 feet). They reach a maximum of 31 cm (12 inches) in length. Their barbels have sensory organs utilized for finding food, which consists mainly of small bottom-living animals such as crustaceans, mollusks, worms, and other small invertebrates. During the day, they form large non-feeding schools that commingle with other species and can change color to blend into the school. At night, they feed as individuals. Males also use their barbells to attract females during courtship. When not in use, the barbells are tucked tightly under the chin. Goatfish are pelagic spawners releasing buoyant eggs that travel the currents for several days until hatching. The Yellowfin Goatfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Yellowfin Goatfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean but has a very limited distribution, being found only around the extreme southern coasts of Baja California Sur.
The Yellowfin Goatfish is easy to identify, being one of only three Goatfish species found in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean. It is significantly different in both color and body shape from the Bigscale Goatfish, Pseudupeneus grandisquamis, which is normally found in deep water far off shore. They are virtually identical to the Mexican Goatfish, Mulloidichthys dentatus, but have more pectoral fin rays, longer pectoral fins, longer barbels and more gill rakers.
From a conservation perspective the Yellowfin Goatfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are very rare in Mexican waters and seldom seen by humans.