Mullet (fish)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the fish of the family Mugilidae. For other fish called "mullets", see
Mullidae. For other uses, see Mullet (disambiguation)
.

Mullet
Mugil cephalus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
(unranked): Acanthomorpha
Superorder: Acanthopterygii
Clade: Percomorpha
(unranked): Ovalentaria
Order: Mugiliformes
Family: Mugilidae
Jarocki, 1822
Type species
Mugil cephalus
, 1758
Genera

See text.

The mullets or grey mullets are a

ray-finned fish found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and 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 78 species in 20 genera.[2]

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

Mugil cephalus
Thick lips of a mullet
Mullets in the Mediterranean Sea

perciforms,[4] while others have grouped them in Atheriniformes.[5] They are classified as an order, Mugiliformes, within the subseries Ovalentaria of the clade Percomorpha in the 5th Edition of Fishes of the World.[6]

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.[7] Outside Europe, the Mullidae are often called "goatfish".[8] 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).[9]

However, recent taxonomic work has reorganised the family and the following genera make up the Mugilidae:[10][11]

Behaviour

A common noticeable behaviour in mullet is the tendency to leap out of the water. There are two distinguishable types of leaps: a straight, clean slice out of the water to escape predators and a slower, lower jump while turning to its side that results in a larger, more distinguishable, splash. The reasons for this lower jump are disputed, but have been hypothesised to be in order to gain oxygen rich air for gas exchange in a small organ above the pharynx.[12]

Development

The

phylogenetic hypotheses, as well as providing an overdue basis of comparison for aquaculture-reared mullets to enable recognition of malformations.[13]

Timeline

QuaternaryNeogenePaleogeneHolocenePleist.Plio.MioceneOligoceneEocenePaleoceneLiza (fish)MugilQuaternaryNeogenePaleogeneHolocenePleist.Plio.MioceneOligoceneEocenePaleocene

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-0-12-547665-2
    .
  2. Fishbase
    . Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  3. ^ "Fishes of the World, 4th Edition". Wiley. Archived from the original on 2012-03-18. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
  4. ^ Gosline, W. A. (1961) "The Perciform Caudal Skeleton" Copeia 1961(3): pp. 265–270
  5. ISBN 9780521229265
    .
  6. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. Archived from the original
    on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
  7. ^ "Mullet species". britishseafishing.co.uk. 14 September 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  8. ^ "Goatfish". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  9. Fishbase
    . Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  10. PMID 23199637
    .
  11. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2021). "Mugilidae" in FishBase. February 2021 version.
  12. S2CID 35924254
    .
  13. ^
    doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa123
    .

Further references

External links

New International Encyclopedia article "Mullet (fish)
".
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