English: Mullets; Grey mullets.
Genera: 20; 78 species; 1 family Mugilidae.
Region: worldwide.
Habitat: coastal temperate and tropical waters, some in fresh water.
Use: important food source.
ZoologyFish; with small triangular mouths; lack of a lateral line organ; they have unusually muscular stomachs and a complex pharynx to help in digestion.
Behavior: tendency to leap out of the water, with straight leap to escape predators and a slower, lower jump while turning to its side, splash.
Fins: 2 separate dorsal fins.
Food: detritus.
TaxonomyMugiliformes, have been in much disagreement concerning the relationships, formerly classified as primitive perciforms. Others have grouped them in
Atheriniformes. They are classified as an order,
Mugiliformes, within the subseries
Ovalentaria of the clade
Percomorpha in the 5th Edition of Fishes of the World.
GeneraMugilidae: Agonostomus, Aldrichetta, Cestraeus, Chaenomugil, Chelon, Crenimugil, Joturus, Liza, Moolgarda, Mugil, Myxus, Neomyxus, Oedalechilus, Paramugil, Rhinomugil, Sicamugil, Trachystoma, Valamugil, Xenomugil.