Flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus)

Scientific name: Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758

The Flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) is a freshwater fish of the family Mugilidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 8–24°C (46–75°F).

Flathead grey mullet care at a glance

Temperature: 8–24°C (46–75°F)

Biology

Coastal species that often enter estuaries and rivers. Usually in schools over sand or mud bottom, between 0 and 10 m, occurring equally in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters (Project MUGIL). Mainly diurnal, feed on zooplankton as larvae, detritus, micro-algae and benthic organisms as juvenile and adult fish. Reproduction takes place in the sea, at various times of the year depending on the location. Does not have an obligatory freshwater phase in its life cycle. Females spawn 0.8 to 2.6 million eggs. Sexually mature at 3 to 4 years. Maximum length reported as 120 cm SL remains to be confirmed (Project MUGIL). Maximum weight reported as 12 kg seems to high fo

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Mugil cephalus
Family: Mugilidae (Mullets)
Order: Mugiliformes (Mullets)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 100.0
Common length: 50.0
Depth range: 0–120 m (0–394 ft)
Environment: Marine; freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; catadromous; depth range 0 - 120 m, usually 0 - 10 m
Climate: Subtropical
Distribution: Cosmopolitan in coastal waters of the tropical, subtropical and temperate zones of all seas. Eastern Pacific: California, USA to Chile. Western Pacific: Japan to Australia. Western Indian Ocean: from India to South Africa. Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia, Canada to Brazil; Cape Cod to southern Gulf of Mexico; absent in the Bahamas and most of West Indies and Caribbean. Eastern Atlantic: Bay of Biscay to South Africa, including the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea. Reported in Sea of Okhotsk.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; bait: occasionally
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.09-0.15; tm=2-6; tmax=16; Fec=1.6 million)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026