The mullets or gray mullets are the family ( Mugilidae ) of ray-finned fish found worldwide in temperate and tropical waters, and several species in fresh water. Mullets has served as an important food source in the Mediterranean Europe since Roman times. The family includes about 78 species in 20 genera.
Mullets are distinguished by the presence of two separate dorsal fins, small triangular mouths, and the absence of a rib-line organ. They eat the detritus, and most species have an extraordinary muscular stomach and a complicated pharynx to aid digestion.
Video Mullet (fish)
Behavior
The apparent behavior seen in the mullet is the tendency to jump out of the water. There are two distinct types of jumps: the straight and clean slices of water to break away from the predator and the slower and lower leaps while turning to the side that results in larger and more distinguishable splats. The reason for this lower jump is debatable, but it has been hypothesized to get oxygen-rich air for gas exchange in small organs above the pharynx.
Maps Mullet (fish)
Classification and naming
Taxonomically, the family is now treated as the only member of the Mugiliformes order, but as Nelson says, "there is much disagreement about the relationship" of this family. The presence of thorny fins clearly indicates membership in the superorder Acanthopterygii, and in the 1960s, they were classified as primitive perkiform, while others classified them in Atheriniformes.
In North America, "mullet" by itself usually refers to Mugilidae. In Europe, the word "mullet" usually qualifies, the "gray mule" that becomes Mugilidae and "red belanus" or "surmullets" is Mullidae, especially members of the genus Mullus , the red mullet. Outside Europe, Mullidae is often called "goatfish". Fish with common names including the word "mullet" may be members of one family or another, or even unrelated like the freshwater white sucker ( Catostomus commersonii ).
The following genera are currently accepted as making Mugilidae:
However, recent taxonomic work has reorganized the following families and genera proposed as a Mugilidae manufacture:
Timeline
References
Further reference
- J.S. Nelson, World Fish . ISBN 978-0-471-25031-9.
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). "Mugilidae" in FishBase. Version of June 2012.
- Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A summary of the fossil marine animal genera". American Paleontology Bulletin . 364 : 560 . Retrieved 2011-05-19 .
- SPECIES BY FAMILY/SUBFAMILY IN THE FISH CATALOGI
External links
- Video: Mullet Dursey Sound May 2010, Beara, West Cork, Ireland
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments