The shark mullet (''Squalomugil nasutus''), also known as the sharp-nosed mullet, popeye mullet, or skipjack mullet, is a species of
ray-finned fish
Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species.
The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...
from the
grey mullet Grey mullet can mean any of several fish in the family ''Mugilidae'' (the mullets) and having a greyish hue:
* Flathead grey mullet, ''Mugil cephalus''
* Thicklip grey mullet, '' Chelon labrosus''
* Boxlip grey mullet, '' Oedalechilus labeo''
* Lea ...
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Mugilidae
The mullets or grey mullets are a family (Mugilidae) of ray-finned fish 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 ...
. It is found in Australia and
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
where it occurs in muddy freshwater habitats and
mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in several ...
s, it feeds on
algae
Algae ( , ; : alga ) are any of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic, eukaryotic organisms. The name is an informal term for a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from ...
and insects taken from the surface but also on benthic invertebrates. It can breathe air and sometimes moves over exposed mud by wriggling.
It was formerly classified in the genus ''
Rhinomugil'', with the
corsula (''Rhinomugil corsula''), but is now placed in its own
monospecific
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...
genus, ''Squalomugil''.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q46360618
Mugilidae
Fish described in 1883