Mullet (fish)
{{Short description|Family (Mugilidae) of ray-finned fish}}
{{About|the fish of the family Mugilidae|other fish called "mullets"|Red mullet|and|Mullidae|other uses|Mullet (disambiguation)}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| taxon = Mugilidae
| display_parents =
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|24|0|Late Oligocene to present}}
| image = Mugil cephalus Minorca.jpg
| image_caption = Mugil cephalus
| authority = Jarocki, 1822
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = See text.
| type_species = Mugil cephalus
| type_species_authority = Linnaeus, 1758
}}
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 Roman times ,in ancient Egypt they ate pickled and dried mullet called fesikh{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20170323-the-deadly-dish-people-love-to-eat | title=The deadly dish people love to eat | date=25 February 2022 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/fesikh-2/#:~:text=Fesikh%20is%20traditionally%20eaten%20during,especially%20symbolized%20fertility%20and%20welfare | title=Fesikh - Arca del Gusto }} the family includes about 78 species in 26 genera.{{cite web |url=https://www.fishbase.se/summary/FamilySummary.php?ID=359 |title=Family Mugilidae – Mullets |website=FishBase |access-date = 25 March 2017}}
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.{{cite book |editor=Paxton, J.R. |editor2=Eschmeyer, W.N.|author1=Johnson, G.D. |author2=Gill, A.C. |name-list-style=amp |year=1998|title=Encyclopedia of Fishes|publisher= Academic Press|location=San Diego|page= 192|isbn= 978-0-12-547665-2}}
Classification and naming
File:Thick lips of a Mullet.jpg
Taxonomically, the family is placed in the order Mugiliformes, which is named after it.{{BioRef|fotw5}} 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.{{Cite web |last1=Fricke |first1=R. |last2=Eschmeyer |first2=W. N. |last3=Van der Laan |first3=R. |date=2025 |title=ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION |url=https://www.calacademy.org/eschmeyers-catalog-of-fishes-classification |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=California Academy of Sciences |language=en}} The presence of fin spines clearly indicates membership in the superorder Acanthopterygii, and in the 1960s, they were classed as primitive perciforms,Gosline, W. A. (1961) "The Perciform Caudal Skeleton" Copeia 1961(3): pp. 265–270 while others have grouped them in Atheriniformes.{{cite book | author = O.H. Oren | year = 1981 | title = Aquaculture of Grey Mullets | publisher = CUP Archive | isbn = 9780521229265 | page = 2}}
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.{{cite web | url = http://britishseafishing.co.uk/mullet-species/ | title = Mullet species | date = 14 September 2012 | access-date = 25 March 2017 | publisher = britishseafishing.co.uk}} Outside Europe, the Mullidae are often called "goatfish".{{cite web | url = https://www.britannica.com/animal/goatfish | title = Goatfish | access-date = 25 March 2017 | publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica}} 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.{{cite web | url = http://www.fishbase.org/ComNames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=2965&GenusName=Catostomus&SpeciesName=commersonii&StockCode=3161 | title = Common names of Catostomus commersonii | access-date = 25 March 2017 | publisher = Fishbase}}
However, recent taxonomic work has reorganised the family and the following genera make up the Mugilidae:{{cite journal | author1 = Jean-Dominique Durand |author2 = Wei-Jen Chen | author3 = Kang-Ning Shen | author4 = Cuizhang Fue | author5 = Philippe Borsaf | year = 2012 | title = Genus-level taxonomic changes implied by the mitochondrial phylogeny of grey mullets (Teleostei: Mugilidae) (abstract) | doi = 10.1016/j.crvi.2012.09.005 |pmid = 23199637 | journal = Comptes Rendus Biologies | volume = 335 | issue = 10&11 | pages = 687–697|url = http://hal.ird.fr/ird-00759075/file/Durand_et_al_Mugilidae_1bis_p._HAL.pdf }}
{{div col|colwidth=12em}}
- Agonostomus Bennett, 1832
- Aldrichetta Whitley, 1945
- Cestraeus Valenciennes, 1836
- Chaenomugil Gill, 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, 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
{{div col end}}The oldest known fossil mullet is †Mugil princeps from the latest Oligocene-aged Aix-en-Provence Formation of France.{{Cite journal |last1=Neves |first1=Jessika M. M. |last2=Almeida |first2=JoÃo P. F. A. |last3=Sturaro |first3=Marcelo J. |last4=FabrÉ |first4=Nidia N. |last5=Pereira |first5=Ricardo J. |last6=Mott |first6=TamÍ |date=2020-02-17 |title=Deep genetic divergence and paraphyly in cryptic species of Mugil fishes (Actinopterygii: Mugilidae) |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14772000.2020.1729892 |journal=Systematics and Biodiversity |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=116–128 |doi=10.1080/14772000.2020.1729892 |bibcode=2020SyBio..18..116N |issn=1477-2000|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last1=Gaudant |first1=Jean |last2=Nel |first2=André |last3=Nury |first3=Denise |last4=Véran |first4=Monette |last5=Carnevale |first5=Giorgio |date=2018-08-01 |title=The uppermost Oligocene of Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône, Southern France): A Cenozoic brackish subtropical Konservat-Lagerstätte, with fishes, insects and plants |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1631068317300799 |journal=Comptes Rendus Palevol |series=Lagerstätten 2: Exceptionally preserved fossils Lagerstätten 2 : fossiles à conservation exceptionnelle |volume=17 |issue=7 |pages=460–478 |doi=10.1016/j.crpv.2017.08.002 |bibcode=2018CRPal..17..460G |issn=1631-0683|url-access=subscription }}
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.{{Cite journal|title=Jumping mullet — the internal diving bell hypothesis|last=Hoese|first=Hinton D.|date=1985|journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes|volume=13|issue=4|pages=309–314|doi=10.1007/BF00002915|bibcode=1985EnvBF..13..309H |s2cid=35924254|language=en}}
Development
The ontogeny of mugilid larvae has been well studied, with the larval development of Mugil cephalus in particular being studied intensively due to its wide range of distribution and interest to aquaculture.{{cite journal|author1=Thieme, Philipp|author2=Vallainc, Dario|author3=Moritz, Timo|title=Postcranial skeletal development of Mugil cephalus (Teleostei: Mugiliformes): morphological and life-history implications for Mugiliformes|year=2021|journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society|volume=192|issue=4|pages=1071–1089|doi=10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa123 |url=https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/192/4/1071/5952425|url-access=subscription}} 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 hypotheses, as well as providing an overdue basis of comparison for aquaculture-reared mullets to enable recognition of malformations.
References
{{Reflist|32em}}
Further references
- {{cite journal | last = Sepkoski | first = Jack | title = A compendium of fossil marine animal genera | journal = Bulletins of American Paleontology | volume = 364 | page =560 | year = 2002 | url = http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class | access-date = 2011-05-19 }}
- {{Cof family | family = Mugilidae | access-date = 25 September 2020}}
External links
{{NIE Poster|Mullet (fish)}}
- Video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FuyUreUR0M Mullet Dursey Sound May 2010, Beara, West Cork, Ireland]
{{Mulletfish}}
{{Actinopterygii}}
{{Commercial fish topics}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q42237|from2=Q3327483}}
{{Authority control}}