scubaseason

Yellowfin Goatfish

Mulloidichthys vanicolensis

Sighting evidence at Cement Factory Wreck, Dubai

Dense schools of hundreds of individuals form resting aggregations on the sandy seabed around the wreck during daylight hours, their yellow tail stripes flashing in the ambient light. At night they disperse across the reef flat to probe the substrate with chemosensory barbels, extracting worms, small crustaceans, and buried invertebrates. The wreck acts as a daytime refuge that concentrates prey items in the surrounding sand, attracting the goatfish in numbers rarely seen on natural reef.

Evidence at this site

No confirmed records on file at this site

Yellowfin Goatfish is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.

How is this calculated?

Sighting evidence is compiled from iNaturalist observation records within a set proximity radius, filtered for quality-grade observations. “Last confirmed” is the date of the most recent research-grade record. Record count covers a rolling 24-month window. Confidence reflects record count, recency, and consistency of seasonal signal.

Also seen at other sites