First Records of the Two-tone Goatfish, Upeneus guttatus, from Japan, and Comparisons with U. japonicus (Perciformes: Mullidae)

Abstract

Upeneus guttatus (Day, 1868) (Perciformes: Mullidae) is recorded from Japan for the first time on the basis of 21 specimens (57.8-139.5mm standard length) collected from Kagoshima Prefecture, southern Japan. These specimens also represent the first records of U. guttatus from East Asia and the northernmost records in the western Pacific Ocean; this species has not previously been recorded north of the Philippines. The Japanese specimens of U. guttatus, described herein in detail, and 14 specimens from the Indo-West Pacific are compared with 33 specimens of U. japonicus (Houttuyn, 1782).