White mullet (Mugil curema)

Scientific name: Mugil curema Valenciennes, 1836

White mullet (Mugil curema)

The White mullet (Mugil curema) is a freshwater fish of the family Mugilidae.

Biology

Inhabit sandy coasts and littoral pools but also occurs in muddy bottoms of brackish lagoons and estuaries. Sometimes penetrate rivers. May also be found on coral reefs. Juveniles are common in coastal waters and are known to find their way to estuaries and coastal lagoons. Growth in juveniles is moderate (30-40 cm in 4 years). Adults form schools. Feed on microscopic or filamentous algae and small juveniles of planktonic organisms. Reproduction occurs between March and August. Spawn several million eggs provided with a notable yolk. Oviparous, eggs are pelagic and non-adhesive. An important foodfish, it is marketed fresh and salted.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Mugil curema
Family
Mugilidae (Mullets)
Order
Mugiliformes (Mullets)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
90.0
Common length
30.0
Depth range
15 m (49 ft)
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; reef-associated; catadromous; depth range 15 - ? m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia, but uncommon north of Cape Cod (Harrison, pers. Comm.) to Argentina. Eastern Atlantic: Senegal to Namibia (Harrison, pers. Comm.). Eastern Pacific: Gulf of California to Chile.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; bait: occasionally
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=2-3; Fec=>50,000)

Sources

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

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