Biometric and meristic characterization of spotted goatfish Pseudupeneus maculatus (Osteichthyes: Mullidae) from Ponta de Pedras, Pernambuco State

Abstract

Reef-associated fish communities are rich and complex and there are few studies about them. The present paper analyses the biometry and the fork length frequency distribution of spotted goatfish, Pseudupeneus maculatus Bloch, 1793, which is an abundant species in coral reefs. The individuals utilized in this study were collected at the municipality of Goiana, in the littoral region of Ponta de Pedras, Pernambuco State. In this analysis, 225 specimens í  129 females (57.33%) and 96 males (42.67%), captured during January to December 1999, were utilized. The meristic characterization indicates as more frequent the following numbers of spines and rays: anterior dorsal fin, VII; posterior dorsal fin, I + 8; anal fin, II + 5; pectoral fin, 14 rays, and ventral fin, I + 4. The biometric and meristic relations in this study are within the standard ones described by other authors for the species. Nearly all individuals caught were juveniles or adults, with fork lengths ranging from 14.5 to 19.5 centimeters.