Order Mugiliformes Higher classification Mugil | Phylum Chordata Family Mugilidae Scientific name Mugil curema Rank Species | |
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Similar Mullet, Mugil, Lebranche mullet, Eucinostomus, Centropomus | ||
The white mullet or silver mullet (Mugil curema) is a (sub)tropical marine fish of the family Mugilidae. It is commonly about 30 cm long.
Contents
Note that silver mullet is also a common name used for fantail mullet (Mugil gyrans).
Distribution and habitat
The White Mullet is an Atlantic and Pacific fish mainly found on American coasts. In the Western Atlantic it ranges from Argentina to Cape Cod and rarely even north to Nova Scotia. In the Eastern Atlantic it occurs from Namibia to Senegal, and in the Eastern Pacific from Chile to the Gulf of California.
The white mullet is found along sandy coasts and in littoral pools, and also occurs in brackish lagoons and estuaries on muddy substrates and sometimes even in rivers. Particularly juveniles do invade estuaries and coastal lagoons. Adults occur in schools.
Atlantic USA
In the US, owing to their small size, less than 12 inches, white mullet are primarily used for bait. In some parts of Florida and southern Alabama, they are occasionally eaten in the place of the much larger striped mullet (or flathead mullet) (Mugil cephalus). Adult white and striped mullet consume the mud found on the bottom of estuarine waters, digesting the algae, plankton, and plant and animal detritus therein. These mullet are unique in having a muscular gizzard. They are an important part of the ecology in estuarine and coastal waters of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of America.
