Barred Flagtail

Kuhlia mugil

Barred Flagtail

Kuhlia mugil

Other Common Names
Fiveband Flagtail, Five-bar Flagtail

Connected Coasts

Other Common Names

Fiveband Flagtail, Five-bar Flagtail

At the Aquarium

Connected Coasts

Appearance

Similar to some other members of the Kuhliidae family, barred flagtails are silver and have large eyes. This species can be distinguished by its white forked tail fin with five black stripes. The tip of their dorsal fins may also be black and white. Barred flagtails can grow to lengths of about 7 to 9 inches.

Habitat

Coral and rocky reefs as well as tide pools, estuaries and the lower reaches of freshwater streams. Lives at depths as deep as 15 m.

Diet

Zooplankton, planktonic crustaceans and small fishes.

Life History

There is not a lot of information available regarding how barred flagtails reproduce so more research is needed to fully understand this species life history.

Juveniles commonly live in tidepools or at the heads of surge channels. Adult barred flagtails form tightly packed schools and are frequently seen in the entrances of caves.

During the day barred flagtails stay together but at night they move away from the shore and spread out to feed.

IUCN Status

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Barred flagtails are caught for food and bait in parts of its range. This species is caught by seines, gill nets and hook and line.

Barred flagtails are secondary consumers, acting as a food source for upper levels of the food chain and controlling the prey populations they consume.

Throughout the Indo-Pacific and eastern Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the eastern Pacific Islands of Clipperton, Cocos and Revillagigedo, north to southern Japan, and south to Australia.

This animal is not native to the Oregon Coast, however is found in the larger Pacific Ocean. It lives in the Aquarium as part of our Connected Coasts gallery.

Barred flagtails are nocturnal feeders, meaning they feed during the night.

This species is the most wide-ranging species of the Kuhlia genus.

Citations & Other Resources

Totti, Kuhlia mugil Kasai aquarium 2, CC BY-SA 4.0
Hoese, D. and K. Mailautoka. 2012. Kuhlia mugil. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012.
Myers, R. F. 1991. Micronesian reef fishes : a practical guide to the identification of the coral reef fishes of the tropical central and western Pacific (2nd ed.). Coral Graphics.
Randall, J. E., G.R. Allen, and R.C. Steene. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press.
Taquet, M., and A. Diringer. 2013. Fishes of the Indian Ocean and Red Sea (1st ed.). Editions Quae.
Randall, J. E., and H.A. Randall. 2001. Review of the Fishes of the Genus Kuhlia (Perciformes: Kuhliidae) of the Central Pacific. Pacific Science, 55(3), 227–256. https://doi.org/10.1353/psc.2001.0024

Barred Flagtail

Barred Flagtail

Other Common Names

At the Aquarium

Appearance

Habitat

Diet

Life History

IUCN Status

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Citations & Other Resources

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