Mullet (fish)

There are other meanings of the word mullet.

There are other fishes called 'mullets', notably the red mullets of the Mullidae family.

Mullets
Mugil cephalus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Mugiliformes
Family:	Mugilidae
Genera
Agonostomus Aldrichetta Cestraeus Chaenomugil Chelon Crenimugil Joturus Liza Moolgarda Mugil Myxus Neomyxus Oedalechilus Rhinomugil Sicamugil Valamugil Xenomugil

The mullets or grey mullets are a family (Mugilidae) and order of ray-finned fish found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and in some species in fresh water.^[1] Mullets have served as an important source of food in Mediterranean Europe since Roman times. The family includes about 80 species in 17 genera, although half of the species are in just two genera (Liza and Mugil).

Mullets are distinguished by the presence of two separate dorsal fins, small triangular mouths, and the absence of a lateral line organ. They feed on detritus, and most species have unusually muscular stomachs and a complex pharynx to help in digestion.^[1]

Classification and naming

Taxonomically, the family is usually treated as the sole member of the order Mugiliformes, but as Nelson^[2] says, "there has been much disagreement concerning the relationships" of this family. The presence of fin spines clearly indicates membership in the superorder Acanthopterygii, and in the 1960s they were classed as primitive perciforms,^[3] while others have grouped them in Atheriniformes^{[citation needed]}. FishBase follows William A. Gosline in placing the family in the Perciformes.

In North America, "mullet" by itself usually refers to Mugilidae. In Europe, the word "mullet" is usually qualified, the "grey mullets" being Mugilidae and the "red mullets" or "surmullets" being Mullidae, notably members of the genus Mullus, the red mullets. Outside Europe, the Mullidae are often called "goatfish". Fish with common names including the word "mullet" may be a member of one family or the other, or even unrelated such as the freshwater white sucker (Catostomus commersonii).

Mullets in the Mediterranean Sea

Genera

• Agonostomus (3 species)
• Aldrichetta (monotypic genus)
• Cestraeus (3 species)
• Chaenomugil (monotypic genus)
• Chelon (3 species)
• Crenimugil (2 species)
• Joturus (monotypic genus)
• Liza (24 species)
• Moolgarda (monotypic genus)
• Mugil (17 species)
• Myxus (4 species)
• Neomyxus (2 species)
• Oedalechilus (2 species)
• Rhinomugil (2 species)
• Sicamugil (2 species)
• Valamugil (9 species)
• Xenomugil (monotypic genus)

Timeline

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Johnson, G.D. & Gill, A.C. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 192. ISBN 0-12-547665-5. 
2. ^ http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471250317.html
3. ^ Gosline, W. A. (1961) "The Perciform Caudal Skeleton" Copeia 1961(3): pp. 265-270

• J.S. Nelson, Fishes of the World ISBN 978-0-471-25031-9
• FishBase entry for the Mugilidae
• Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: p.560. http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class. Retrieved 2011-05-19. 

External links

• Video: Mullet Dursey Sound May 2010, Beara, West Cork, Ireland