| Chelon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Thicklip Grey Mullet (C. labrosus) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Mugiliformes |
| Family: | Mugilidae |
| Genus: | Chelon Artedi, 1793 [1] |
| Type species | |
| Mugil chelo | |
Chelon is a genus of mullets found in coastal marine waters, estuaries and rivers in the Atlantic Ocean and Arabian Sea.
Chelon possesses the elongated body and dorsal fins typical of the order Mugiliformes, with frontal fins defined by four spines and anal fins with soft rays. The maximum sizes described vary between 15 cm for the Cape Verde mullet and 32 cm for the thicklip grey mullet. [3]
They are catadromous fishes, meaning that they can be found in lagoons and rivers as well as the sea during the reproductive season, fundamentally feeding on algae and diatoms. [4]
Recent cladistic analysis recovered Chelon as paraphyletic with respect to Liza, so some species of Liza were reassigned to Chelon and Liza synonymized with Chelon. [5] [6]
The following species are classified in the genus Chelon: [7]
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. The family includes about 78 species in 20 genera.
Grey mullet can mean any of several fish in the family Mugilidae and having a greyish hue:
Liza is a genus of mullets from the family Mugilidae. Recent work has suggested that the genus is paraphyletic and its species should be placed in the resurrected genus Planiliza while others should be classified in the traditional genera Mugil and Chelon. Liza is derived from the Spanish word for a grey mullet.
Crenimugil is a genus of mullets found in coastal marine waters and rivers in the Indo-Pacific region.
Mugil is a genus of mullet in the family Mugilidae found worldwide in tropical and temperate coastal marine waters, but also entering estuaries and rivers.
The sand grey mullet is a species of mullet found in coastal marine waters of Australia.
The freshwater mullet is a species of fish in the family Mugilidae. It is endemic to South Africa.
The thicklip grey mullet, Chelon labrosus, is a coastal fish of the family Mugilidae. It typically is about 32 cm (13 in) long, with 75 cm (30 in) being the maximum recorded. It is named after its thick upper lip and silvery-grey appearance.
The so-iuy mullet, also known as the haarder, redlip mullet or so-iny mullet, is a species of fish in the family Mugilidae.
The thinlip mullet is a species of fish in the family Mugilidae. It is found in shallow European waters and is a migratory species.
Chelon bispinosus is a fish of the family Mugilidae. It is one of seven species in the genus Chelon. It is endemic to waters near Cape Verde in the east central Atlantic Ocean. This species is found in the neritic zone.
Chelon parsia, the goldspot mullet, is a ray-finned fish of the family Mugilidae. It is one of seven species in the genus Chelon. This species is found in the Indian Ocean, specifically in shallow coastal waters of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and the Andaman Islands. It is also lives in lagoons, estuaries and even tidal rivers.
Planiliza is a genus of mullets found in coastal marine waters, estuaries and rivers in the Indo-Pacific.
Osteomugil is a genus of mugilid mullets found in coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific, including estuaries and rivers. They were formerly included in Moolgarda and Valamugil.
Liza carinata, the keeled mullet, is a species of grey mullet from the family Mugilidae which is found in the western Indian Ocean and eastern Mediterraean Sea. It colonised the Mediterranean by Lessepsian migration from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. The keeled mullet is a species of minor importance in commercial fisheries.
The Diassanga mullet is a species of ray-finned fish, grey mullet from the family Mugilidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic around the coasts of West Africa.
The grooved mullet is a species of ray-finned fish, a grey mullet from the family Mugilidae. It is found in the coastal waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the western coast of Africa, as far north as Mauritania, and into the western Indian Ocean.
Chelon tricuspidens, the striped mullet, is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Mugilidae. It is found in southern Africa where its known range comprises Mossel Bay and the Kosi Estuary in South Africa. Its habitatis muddy areas in estuaries. This species and the Diassanga mullet are closely related and these two taxa seem to have separated when the Benguela Current, as it exists today, was formed about 3-12 million years ago.
The sicklefin mullet is a species of ray-finned fish, a grey mullet from the family Mugilidae which is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean of the coasts of western Africa. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Neochelon.
The shark mullet, also known as the sharp-nosed mullet or skipjack mullet, is a species of ray-finned fish from the grey mullet family Mugilidae. It is found in Australia and New Guinea where it occurs in muddy freshwater habitats and mangroves, it feeds on algae 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, but is now placed in its own monospecific genus, Squalomugil.