Common Name: Sidespot Goatfish

Distribution: Common in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed through the Indo-Pacific region: from East Africa to Hawaii and the Line, Marquesas and Tuamoto islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Lord Howe and Rapa islands. In Australia recorded from northern Western Australia, the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef in Queensland south to southern New South Wales and including Lord Howe Island.

Ecological Notes: Frequents sand, rubble and coral areas as well as rocky reef and seagrass beds. Depth 1 – 120 m. 

Additional Notes: Variable colouration from pale to bright pink, with large black blotch on middle body, followed by white patch and with black stripe at the base of the second dorsal fin. Solitary species, feeds on benthic animals: crabs, shrimps, polychaete worms, heart urchins and brittle stars. Juvenile in middle photograph among small group of Black Spot Goatfish, Parupeneus spilurus. Grows to 33 cm, commonly 20 cm.

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.189.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=parupeneus+pleurostigma. Accessed 27/06/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/parupeneus-pleurostigma.html. Accessed 27/06/18.