Author: (Lacepède, 1801)
FBname: Dash-and-dot goatfish
Comments: One of the most abundant species of <i>Parupeneus</i> (Ref. 37816).  Adults, solitary or in small groups inhabit large sand patches as well as sand and rubble areas of reef flats, and lagoon and seaward reefs to a depth of about 100 m.  Juveniles usually in small groups, often mixed with other species in sparse seagrass habitats (Ref. 48636). Adults forage on sand-dwelling invertebrates like polychaete worms and crustaceans.  Feeding is diurnal; from 19 adult specimens for food-habit study, the prey in order by volume in the stomachs: crabs (portunid, anomuran, xanthid, and raninid), worms (mainly polychaetes but also sipunculids and unidentified), small bivalve molluscs, brachiopods, shrimps, small gastropods, isopods, amphipods, foraminifera, and a small unidentified eel (Ref. 54393).  Individuals from Palau and eastern Carolines often have a yellow band immediately above the broad black band extending behind the eye (Ref. 37816).  Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797.