Mullet (fish)

Mullet (fish)
There are other meanings of the word mullet.
There are other fishes called 'mullets', notably the red mullets of the Mullidae family.

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]


Contents

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


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

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mullet — may refer to: Contents 1 Fish 2 Places 3 Other 4 See als …   Wikipedia

  • mullet thunder — jumping mullet (fish) …   Eponyms, nicknames, and geographical games

  • mullet — [mul′it] n. pl. mullets or mullet [ME molet < OFr mulet, dim. < L mullus, red mullet < Gr myllos, kind of fish < ? IE base * mel : see MULE2] 1. any of a family (Mugilidae) of edible, spiny finned percoid fishes, both freshwater and… …   English World dictionary

  • mullet — ► NOUN ▪ any of various chiefly marine fish that are widely caught for food. ORIGIN Greek mullos …   English terms dictionary

  • mullet — {{11}}mullet (1) edible type of spiny finned fish, mid 15c., from Anglo Fr. molett (late 14c.), O.Fr. mulet, from M.L. muletus, from L. mulettus, from mullus red mullet, from Gk. myllos a marine fish, related to melos black, from PIE *mel of… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Fish of the Red Sea — Deepwater species= See the List of deep water fish of the Red SeaDemersal species*Ambassidae ** Ambassis gymnocephalus , Bald glassy ** Ambassis urotaenia , Banded tail glassy perchlet*Apistidae ** Apistus carinatus , Ocellated… …   Wikipedia

  • fish — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) I v. angle; pull out, dredge; solicit; search. See pursuit, desire, fish, food. II Aquatic vertebrate animal Nouns 1. fish, denizen of the deep, Pisces; anadromous, freshwater or saltwater fish, tropical …   English dictionary for students

  • mullet — [[t]mʌ̱lɪt[/t]] mullets N VAR (mullet can also be used as the plural form.) A mullet is a small sea fish that people cook and eat. N UNCOUNT Mullet is this fish eaten as food …   English dictionary

  • mullet — mullet1 /mul it/, n., pl. (esp. collectively) mullet, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) mullets. 1. any of several marine or freshwater, usually gray fishes of the family Mugilidae, having a nearly cylindrical body. 2. a goatfish.… …   Universalium

  • mullet — /ˈmʌlət / (say muluht) noun 1. (plural mullet or mullets) any fish of the family Mugilidae, which includes various marine and freshwater species with a nearly cylindrical body and generally greyish silver colouration, as the sea mullet, Mugil… …  

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”