The mullets or grey mullets are a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

(Mugilidae) of

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and some species in fresh water. Mullets have served as an important source of food in Mediterranean Europe since Roman times. In

ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

they ate pickled and dried mullet called fesikh. The family includes about 78 species in 26 genera. Mullets are distinguished by the presence of two separate

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...

s, small triangular mouths, and the absence of a

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelia ...

organ. They feed on

detritus In biology, detritus ( or ) is organic matter made up of the decomposition, decomposing remains of organisms and plants, and also of feces. Detritus usually hosts communities of microorganisms that colonize and decomposition, decompose (Reminera ...

, and most species have unusually muscular stomachs and a complex

pharynx The pharynx (: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the human mouth, mouth and nasal cavity, and above the esophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs respectively). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates ...

to help in digestion.

Classification and naming

Taxonomically, the family is placed in the order Mugiliformes, which is named after it. Until recently, it was considered the only member of Mugiliformes, but more recent taxonomic treatments suggest that they are closely related to the Asiatic glassfishes (Ambassidae), which are now also placed in the group. The presence of fin spines clearly indicates membership in the superorder

Acanthopterygii Acanthopterygii (meaning "spiny-finned one") is a superorder of teleost, bony fishes in the class Actinopterygii. Members of this superorder are sometimes called ray-finned fishes for the characteristic sharp, bony rays in their fins; however th ...

, and in the 1960s, they were classed as primitive perciforms, while others have grouped them in

Atheriniformes The Atheriniformes, also known as the silversides, are an order of ray-finned fishes that includes the Old & New World silversides, the rainbowfishes, and several less-familiar families, including the unusual Phallostethidae. The order incl ...

. 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''. 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 '' Catostomus commersonii''. However, recent taxonomic work has reorganised the family and the following genera make up the Mugilidae: * '' Agonostomus'' Bennett, 1832 * '' Aldrichetta'' Whitley, 1945 * ''

Cestraeus ''Cestraeus'' is a genus of mullets found in rivers of Asia and Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is gene ...

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...

, 1836 * '' Chaenomugil''

Gill A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow r ...

, 1863 * '' Chelon'' Artedi, 1763 * '' Crenimugil'' Schultz, 1946 * '' Dajaus'' Valenciennes, 1836 * '' Ellochelon'' Whitley, 1930 * '' Gracilimugil'' Whitley, 1941 * '' Joturus'' Poey, 1860 * '' Minimugil'' Durand, Chen, Shen, Fu & Borsa, 2012 * '' Mugil''

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

, 1758 * '' Myxus'' Günther, 1861 * '' Neomyxus'' Steindachner, 1878 * '' Neochelon'' Durand, Chen, Shen, Fu & Borsa 2012 * '' Oedalechilus'' Fowler 1903 * '' Osteomugil'' G. Luther, 1982 * '' Parachelon'' Durand, Chen, Shen, Fu & Borsa 2012 * '' Paramugil'' Ghasemzadeh, Ivantsoff & Aarn 2004 * '' Planiliza'' Whitley, 1945 * '' Plicomugil'' Schultz, 1953 * '' Pseudomyxus'' Durand, Chen, Shen, Fu & Borsa 2012 * '' Rhinomugil'' Gill, 1863 * '' Sicamugil'' Fowler, 1939 * '' Squalomugil'' Ogilby, 1908 * '' Trachystoma'' Ogilby, 1888 The oldest known fossil mullet is †'' Mugil princeps'' from the latest

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

-aged Aix-en-Provence Formation of France.

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.

Development

The

ontogeny Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the ovum, egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to t ...

of mugilid larvae has been well studied, with the larval development of ''

Mugil cephalus The flathead grey mullet (''Mugil cephalus'') is an important food fish species in the mullet family Mugilidae. It is found in coastal temperate, tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. Its length is typically . It is known with numerous En ...

'' in particular being studied intensively due to its wide range of distribution and interest to

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...

. The previously understudied osteological development of ''Mugil cephalus'' was investigated in a 2021 study, with four embryonic and six larval developmental steps being described in aquaculture-reared and wild-caught specimens. These descriptions provided clarification of questionable characters of adult mullets and revealed informative details with potential implications for

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

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

References

Further references

* *

External links

* Video
Mullet Dursey Sound May 2010, Beara, West Cork, Ireland
{{Authority control Mugiliformes Ovalentaria