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 26 genera.
Grey mullet can mean any of several fish in the family Mugilidae and having a greyish hue:
The South African mullet, also called a harder mullet or simply harder, is a species of mullet. It is found in South African coastal waters from Walvis Bay (Namibia) to KwaZulu-Natal, and grows to a maximum length of 40.5 cm (15.9 in). The person the specific name honours was not recorded by Andrew Smith when he described this species but it is most likely to be John Richardson (1787-1865), the Scottish naturalist, surgeon and Arctic explorer.
The white mullet or silver mullet is a tropical and subtropical marine fish of the family Mugilidae. It is commonly about 30 cm (12 in) long.
Chelon is a genus of mullets found in coastal marine waters, estuaries and rivers in the Atlantic Ocean and Arabian Sea.
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 Otomebora mullet, the giantscale mullet or St. Lucia mullet, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Mugilidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific Region.
The freshwater mullet is a species of ray-finned 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 golden grey mullet is a 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.
The leaping mullet is a species of fish in the family Mugilidae. It is found in coastal waters and estuaries in the northeast Atlantic, ranging from Morocco to France, and including the Mediterranean and Black Sea. It has been introduced to the Caspian Sea.
Chelon bispinosus is a ray-finned 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.
Planiliza parsia, the goldspot mullet, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Mugilidae. It is one of 15 species in the genus Planiliza. This species is found in the Indian Ocean in shallow coastal waters of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and the Andaman Islands. It also lives in lagoons, estuaries, and tidal rivers.
Planiliza is a genus of mullets found in coastal marine waters, estuaries and rivers in the Indo-Pacific.
Planiliza carinata, the keeled mullet, is a species of grey mullet from the family Mugilidae which is found in the western Indian Ocean and eastern Mediterranean 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 squaretail mullet, also known as the diamondscale mullet, is a species of grey mullet from the family Mugilidae. It is an Indo-Pacific species and is the only species in the monospecific genus Ellochelon.
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.
The flat-tail mullet is a species of grey mullet from the family Mugilidae. It is endemic to southern Australia where it forms schools in shallows, and lower estuaries, as well as in more saline lagoons. It spawns at sea but juveniles move into freshwater until they are a year old. It feeds on benthic microorganisms such as crustaceans and filamentous algae. It is caught as a food fish. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Gracimugil.
