Upeneus heemstra

Upeneus heemstra
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Syngnathiformes
Family: Mullidae
Genus: Upeneus
Species:
U. heemstra
Binomial name
Upeneus heemstra
Uiblein & Gouws, 2014

Upeneus heemstra, the Heemstra's goatfish, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Upeneus. It was first described by Franz Uiblein and Gouws in 2014.[2][3]

Distribution and habitat

The Upeneus heemstra is a marine demersal species mostly found across the Western Indian Ocean, with a range extending from Mozambique to Central Red Sea including the West India and Sri Lanka.[3] It typically occurs in soft sand and muddy seabeds close to coral reef areas. It is found at the depth range between 0 to 12 meters.[2]

Conservation

According to IUCN, Upeneus heemstra was classified as Least concern.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Heemstra's Goatfish". iucnredlist.org. IUCN. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Upeneus heemstra summary page". FishBase. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b Uiblein, Franz; Gouws, Gavin (9 August 2014). "A new goatfish species of the genus Upeneus (Mullidae) based on molecular and morphological screening and subsequent taxonomic analysis". Marine Biology Research. 10 (7): 655–681. doi:10.1080/17451000.2013.850515. ISSN 1745-1000. Retrieved 30 September 2025.