South Pacific Studies Vol.37, No.1, 2016

Records of the Orange Goatfish, Mulloidichthys pflugeri(Teleostei: Mullidae), from Amami-oshima and Yonagunijima islands in the Ryukyu Archipelago, southern Japan
Koeda Keita1*, Maekawa Takanori2, Wada Hidetoshi3 and Motomura Hiroyuki1

1: The Kagoshima University Museum, 1-21-30 Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
2: Maekawa Suisan, 6-16 Minato-cho, Naze, Amami, Kagoshima 894-0026, Japan
3: Division of Fisheries Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1
Gakuen-kibanadai-nishi, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan* Corresponding author
E-mail: hatampo@gmail.com

Abstract

Specimens of the Orange Goatfish, Mulloidichthys pflugeri, were collected from off Amamioshima and Yonaguni-jima islands in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. Previously M. pflugeri has beenrecorded in Japanese waters only from Okinawa-jima island and the Ogasawara Islands. Therefore, thepresent specimens are the first distributional records from each of Amami-oshima and Yonaguni-jimaislands. Additionally, the specimen collected from Amami-oshima island represents the northernmost
record of the species.
Key words:Mulloidichthys flavolineatus, Mulloidichthys vanicolensis, distribution, Amami Islands,
Yaeyama Islands

Introduction
Seven species have been recognized as valid in the genus Mulloidichthys: M. ayliffe
Uiblein, 2010 from the western Indian Ocean, M. flavolineatus (Lacepède, 1801), M.
pflugeri (Steindachner, 1900), and M. vanicolensis (Valenciennes, 1831) from the IndoPacific, M. mimicus Randall and Guézé, 1980 from the southern Pacific, M. dentatus, Gill
1862 from the eastern Pacific, and M. martinicus (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes,1837) from the Atlantic Ocean (Gill 1862, Allen and Robertson 1994, Uiblein 2010).
Three species, M. flavolineatus “Montsuki-akahimeji”, M. pflugeri “Ryukyu-akahimeji”,and M. vanicolensis “Akahimeji”, are known from Japan (Hatooka and Doiuchi 2013).
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Received: 21 December, 2015
Accepted: 16 March, 2016

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South Pacific Studies Vol.37, No.1, 2016

The genus Mulloidichthys is defined as lacking teeth on the vomer or palatines and scales on
the second dorsal fin, and having small conical teeth forming two or more rows on the jaws,
33-42 pored lateral-line scales, and five scale rows between the dorsal fins (Randall 1984,Uiblein 2010).
A single specimen of M. pflugeri was collected off Amami-oshima island in the Amami
Islands, and landed at Naze Fishing Port. In addition, an another specimen of M. pflugeri
was collected off Yonaguni-jima island in the Yaeyama Islands. The species was previously
recorded from off the Molucca, Mariana, Marshall, Tonga, Hawaiian, Society, Marquesas,
Mascarene, and Ogasawara islands, and Okinawa-jima island (Hatooka and Doiuchi 2013),
with the northernmost record on the basis of voucher specimens being from the Ogasawara
Islands, Japan (Randall et al. 1997). The present specimens are the first distributional
records of M. pflugeri from the Amami and Yaeyama islands, and the specimen collectedfrom Amami-oshima island now represents the northernmost record of the species.

Materials and Methods
Counts, measurements, and abbreviations of characters follow Uiblein (2010).
Measurements were made to the nearest 0.1 mm with digital calipers. The description isbased on specimens from the Amami and Yaeyama islands (KAUM‒I. 72443 and MUFS47000). Counts and measurements of MUFS 47000 are shown in parentheses if data differ
between the two specimens. The coloration is described on the basis of color photographsof two specimens. The specimens are deposited at the Kagoshima University Museum,Kagoshima, Japan (KAUM) and Division of Fisheries Science, University of Miyazaki,
Japan (MUFS). Curatorial procedures for the collected specimens followed Motomura andIshikawa (2013).

Results and Discussion
Mulloidichthys pflugeri (Steindachner, 1900)
Standard Japanese name: Ryukyu-akahimeji
Figs. 1–3
Materials examined. KAUM‒I. 72443, 348.2 mm SL, off Amami-oshima island(28°18ʹN, 129°20ʹE), Amami Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, line fishing, Nov. 2015,landed at Naze Fishing Port, purchased by T. Maeawa; MUFS 47000, 189.0 mm SL, northof Yonaguni-jima island (24°28ʹN, 122°57ʹE), Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan,line fishing, 30 m, 22 Sept. 2015, collected by H. Wada.
Description. Pectoral-fin rays 18, upper 2 and lower 1 unbranched; rudimentary gillrakers on upper limb 3 (2); developed gill rakers on upper limb 5 (6); developed gill rakers
on lower limb 14 (14); rudimentary gill rakers on lower limb 5 (5); total gill rakers on upper

Koeda et al.: Mulloidichthys pflugeri from Amami-oshima and Yonaguni-jima islands

3limb 8 (8); total gill rakers on lower limb 19 (19); total gill rakers 27 (27); scales along
lateral line to caudal-fin base 41 (39).
Following measurement characters expressed as percentages of SL: body depth at firstdorsal-fin origin 32.3 (26.2) %; body depth at anal-fin origin 27.2 (22.0) %; half body depth
at first dorsal-fin origin 23.9 (21.9) %; half body depth at anal-fin origin 17.9 (17.0) %;caudal-peduncle depth 9.4 (8.3) %; caudal-peduncle width at position of caudal-peduncle
depth measurement 5.7 (5.6) %; maximum head depth 25.0 (22.3) %; head depth acrossa vertical midline through eye 21.4 (19.5) %; suborbital depth 13.2 (11.3) %; interorbital
length 10.3 (8.7) %; head length 31.2 (30.6) %; snout length 15.3 (14.6) %; postorbital
length 11.5 (10.5) %; orbit length 5.2 (6.8) %; orbit depth 4.9 (5.9) %; upper-jaw length12.7 (12.0) %; lower-jaw length 12.5 (12.1) %; snout width 11.8% (10.5); barbell length20.6 (16.8) %; maximum barbell width 1.3 (1.4) %; first pre-dorsal-fin length 40.4 (39.4) %;second pre-dorsal-fin length 68.6 (66.6) %; inter-dorsal-fin distance 17.8 (16.6) %; caudalpeduncle length 21.6 (21.1) %; pre-anal-fin length 67.2 (66.2) %; pre-pelvic-fin length 30.3(31.0) %; pre-pectoral-fin length 31.6 (32.4) %; second dorsal-fin depth 27.6 (22.6) %;pelvic-fin depth 31.9 (27.0) %; pectoral-fin depth 19.5 (17.1) %; length of first dorsal-finbase 18.6 (16.5) %; length of second dorsal-fin base 14.0 (12.7) %; distance between dorsal
caudal-fin origin and upper caudal-lobe tip 32.3 (29.0) %; length of anal-fin base 11.5 (10.6)%; distance between anal-fin origin and anal-fin anterior tip 13.6 (12.1) %; distance between
pelvic-fin origin and pelvic-fin tip 24.4 (22.8) %; distance between pectoral-fin dorsal origin
and pectoral-fin tip 22.5 (21.3) %; width of pectoral-fin base 6.6 (6.2) %; first dorsal-fin
height 21.4 (19.9) %; second dorsal-fin height 12.5 (12.2) %.
Body elongate, deepest at origin of first dorsal fin; depth of caudal peduncle slightly
less than ⅓ of body depth at origin of first dorsal fin; head rounded; dorsal profile straight toanterior of eye, slightly bent horizontal to origin of first dorsal fin.
Mouth small, axilla not reach vertical at front of orbit, upper-jaw length 12.0–12.7%
SL; small conical teeth on both jaws, placed in one outer row and more irregularly behind in
the front of jaws, and on a single row more posteriorly; no teeth on roof of mouth; anterior
nostril a small vertically elliptical opening about ⅔ orbit diameter in front of eye; posterior
nostril a narrow slit covered by a membrane next to edge of upper orbit; longest gillfilaments on first gill arch about ⅔ orbit diameter; longest gill raker on first arch about ⅔ oflongest gill filament; a single flat spine at posterior edge of operculum at mid-eye level.
Scales very finely ctenoid; head fully scaled; fins naked except base of caudal fin;origin of first and second dorsal fin vertical at 4th and 18th lateral line scale, respectively;
origin of anal fin vertical at origin of second dorsal fin; origin of pectoral fin posterior tovertical at origin of pelvic fin; pectoral fin reaches vertical at posterior margin of first dorsal
fin base; pelvic fin does not reach to anus; lateral line following contour of back; pored
scales of lateral line with many branched tubules.
Color when fresh (Figs. 1–2a) — Body rose, ventrally white; dorsal half of body red
becoming more intense further dorsally; body scales margined by faint yellow; single, very
faint yellowish longitudinal stripe from upper margin of gill opening to caudal peduncle
in MUFS 47000; anterior part of head yellowish-red; first dorsal fin rose and anteriorly4South Pacific Studies Vol.37, No.1, 2016

Fig. 1. Fresh specimen of Mulloidichthys pflugeri (KAUM‒I. 72443), 348.2 mm SL, off Amamioshima island, Amami Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, line fishing, Nov. 2015, landed atNaze Fishing Port.

Fig. 2. Fresh specimen (A) and live specimen just removed from water (B) of Mulloidichthys pflugeri(MUFS 47000), 189.0 mm SL, off north of Yonaguni-jima island, Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa
Prefecture, Japan, line fishing, 30 m, 22 Sept. 2015.

Koeda et al.: Mulloidichthys pflugeri from Amami-oshima and Yonaguni-jima islands

5reddish-orange; second dorsal fin and anal fin rose with whitish outer margin; pectoral
fin rose in KAUM‒I. 72443, but translucent in MUFS 47000; pelvic fin rose; caudal fin
reddish-orange; barbell pink becoming white on tip.
Color when alive (Fig. 2b) — Body faint orange and ventrally white; four wide bright
red lateral bands on body to caudal-peduncle; head reddish-orange.
Color in alcohol — Body pale brown with some red or orange pigments remaining;
fins pale brown; barbell white; peritoneum pale brown without pigments.
Distribution. The species known from the Indo-Pacific Ocean, and has currently beenrecorded from the following insular localities in the Pacific Ocean; the Marquesas Islands,
the Society Islands, Tonga, the Molucca Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Hawaiian Islands,
the Mariana Islands, the Ogasawara Islands, Yonaguni-jima island, Okinawa-jima island,and Amami-oshima island (Yamakawa 1984, Randall 1984, Allen and Robertson 1994,
Randall et al. 1997, Hoover 2008, Uiblein 2010, Hatooka and Doiuchi 2013, presentstudy; Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Distributional records of Mulloidichthys pflugeri in the Pacific Ocean. Stars and circles indicate records by the present study and literature respectively.

Remarks. Characters of the present specimens are consistent with the diagnostic
characters of M. pflugeri given by Randall (1984), Uiblein (2010), and Hatooka andDoiuchi (2013): i.e., second dorsal-fin height 12.2–12.5% SL, caudal-peduncle depth
29.3–31.7% in body depth at first dorsal-fin origin, caudal-peduncle width 60.6–67.5% in
caudal-peduncle depth, total gill rakers 27, a rose body when fresh without distinct yellow
stripes, and white peritoneum. Mulloidichthys pflugeri is clearly distinguishable from its
two congeners in the western Pacific Ocean by its rose body without distinct stripes (vs.
yellow longitudinal stripes in M. flavolineatus and M. vanicolensis), white peritoneum(vs. dark brown to black), no black spot on the body (vs. single black spot on body side in
M. flavolineatus), body depth at first dorsal-fin origin 26.2–32.3% SL (vs. 21.0–30.0% in

6South Pacific Studies Vol.37, No.1, 2016

M. flavolineatus), and total gill rakers 27 (vs. 29–36 in M. vanicolensis) (Randall 1984,Uiblein 2010, Hatooka and Doiuchi 2013).
Mulloidichthys pflugeri was originally described by Steindachner (1900) on the basisof a specimen from Oahu Island in the Hawaiian Islands. Aoyagi (1943) firstly used theJapanese name “Ryukyu-akahimeji” for M. vanicolensis, and Matsubara (1955) followed
this example. Gushiken (1972) reported a photograph of species of Mulloidichthys with
the Japanese standard name “Ryukyu-akahimeji” and Okinawan local name “yū-akajinbā” with the scientific name M. vanicolensis, but the photograph is herein reidentified
as M. pflugeri. This represents the first reliable record of the species. Masuda et al. (1975)
challenged the identification of Aoyagi (1943), and readjusted the Japanese standard name“Ryukyu-akahimeji” to M. pflugeri with a description based on the specimen. Masuda etal. (1975) also readjusted the Japanese names “Akahimeji” and “Montsuki-Akahimeji” toM. vanicolensis and M. flavolineatus, respectively, and subsequent Japanese publications
have followed them (e.g. Yamakawa 1984, Hatooka 1993, Hatooka 2000, Hatooka andDoiuchi 2013).
Yokoi (1989) and Wang (2011) also reported this species from Okinawa-jima island
and Taiwan, respectively, but their photographs are herein reidentified as Parupeneus
cyclostomus (Lacepède, 1801) from the body coloration and the long barbells.
The northernmost record of M. pflugeri has previously been the Ogasawara Islands(27°04ʹN, 142°11ʹE), Japan (Randall et al. 1997; Fig. 3; see above). Therefore, the present
specimen, the first record from the Amami-oshima islands, becomes the northernmost recordof the species. In addition, we also report here a single specimen collected from Yonagunijima island which is the westernmost island in Ryukyu Archipelago. These two records
indicate that M. pflugeri is widely distributed in the central to southern Ryukyu Archipelago.

Acknowledgments
We are especially grateful for Y. Iwatsuki (MUFS) for his support for loaning
specimens. We also thank S. Takenishi (Yonaguni Fishery Association), H. Muramoto(Education Board of Yonaguni Town), Y. Hibino, D. Sasaki, T. Furukawa, and H. Suzuki(Mie University), Y. Kimura, M. Fujisawa, and S. Tanaka (Hiroshima University), R. Miki(MUFS), T. Kunishima and M. Sakurai (University of the Ryukyus), and T. Yoshida, K.
Eguchi, T. Inaba, and T. Uejo (KAUM) for their help in field collections. We also thankmembers of KAUM for their help in specimen examination. J. D. Reimer (University of theRyukyus) kindly improved the English in the manuscript. This study was supported in partby a Grant-in-Aid from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for JSPS Fellows(PD: 26-477) to the first author, and the JSPS Asian Core Program “Establishment ofResearch and Education Network on Coastal Marine Science in Southeast Asia”, the “CoastalArea Capability Enhancement in Southeast Asia” project of the Research Institute for
Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan, “Establishment of Research and Education Network onBiodiversity and Its Conservation in the Satsunan Islands” project of Kagoshima University

Koeda et al.: Mulloidichthys pflugeri from Amami-oshima and Yonaguni-jima islands

7

adopted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan,
and the “Biological Properties of Biodiversity Hotspots in Japan” project of the National
Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba, Japan to the fourth author.

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