Mulliformes

Order Mulliformes

Diagnosis ( Uiblein and Randall, 2022)

Small to moderately sized (to ~ 40 cm SL), body elongat- ed; chin with pair of long, unbranched sensory barbels that can be folded into median groove between the jaws. Mouth low on head, upper jaw slightly protrusible, lower jaw inferior, cleft slightly oblique; jaw teeth conical or villiform, in 1 series or 2 or more irregular rows. Two well-separated dorsal fins: 1 st dorsal fin 7 or 8 slender spines (1 st spine often very small in species with 8 spines), 2 nd dorsal fin 9 rays (1 st ray unbranched; segments sometimes difficult to see, giving appearance of a spine); anal fin 1 spine, 6 or 7 rays; pelvic fins 1 spine, 5 rays; pectoral fins 12-18 rays; caudal fin forked, middle 13 rays branched. Lateral line complete, following dorsal curve of body, with 27-39 pored scales to caudal-fin base. Scales finely ctenoid, entirely covering head and body (except preorbital region in some species of Upeneus ). Body often whitish to pale red in life (preserved specimens usually pale brown), and most species with distinctive markings (usually only the darkest markings, such as caudal-fin bars and stripes on sides, are retained in preservative).

Remarks

A single family: Mullidae . Based on currently available morphological and genetic information, we consider the Mulliformes to be a monotypic order comprised solely of the family Mullidae . The pair of hyoid barbels is a unique character not shared with any other fish family ( Gosline, 1985; Kim et al., 2001). Traditional systematic assumptions based on shared morphological characters, such as presence of spines in dorsal, anal and pelvic fins, and two separated dorsal fins, place the Mullidae within the order Perciformes (e.g., Nelson et al., 2016). In contrast, recent DNA studies suggest a close relationship of the goatfishes with several non-perciform fish groups subsumed into the series Syngnatharia with the single order Syngnathiformes and placement of the Mullidae as a single family in the syngnathiform suborder Mulloidei (Betancur-R. et al., 2017). However, as also stated in the latter study, there is currently no known morphological synapomorphy to support the inclusion of Mullidae in the order Syngnathiformes . Therefore, we recognize here the order Mulliformes pending additional research.

Family Mullidae Rafinesque, 1815

Diagnosis Same as for order Mulliformes . Remarks

Six genera and 103 species including the four new species described herein.