Fish

Indian Goatfish

Parupeneus indicus

A slender, pale goatfish with a dark lateral marking, trailing a pair of long chin barbels as it forages over sand and reef.

Indian Goatfish
Photo: Francois Libert · CC BY-NC 4.0
Habitat
Sand and rubble near reef

The Indian goatfish is a typical member of its family, with an elongate body, a pale to yellowish ground colour and the pair of long, whisker-like barbels beneath the chin that define the goatfishes.

It works those barbels through sand and rubble around reefs to find buried worms, crustaceans and molluscs, often in small groups. It is a warm-water species of our northern coast.