Mugil cephalus, commonly known as the flathead grey mullet, can be found in tropical, subtropical and temperate rivers, estuaries and coastal waters. Mugil cephalus has acharacteristically flat head, torpedo shaped body and two dorsal fins. This species has a silver underside with a darker, greenish brown back; sometimes they have dark stripes along their sides. They become sexually mature at around 32-50 cm in length and around 2-years-old.They migrate offshore to spawn in large groups then the larvae settle in more protected shallow estuary habitats. As the fish grow in size and maturity, some move to somewhat deeper waters (Fischer and Bianchi 2012). They primarily feed on detritus and plankton and use a gizzard-like stomach to aid with digestion (Cardona et al. 2000, Fischer and Bianchi 2012). Flathead mullet are an important aquaculture species, particularly in many Asian and Mediterranean countries (Fischer and Bianchi 2012).

References

Cardona, L. Gisbert, E. and Torras, X. 2000. Cascading effects of the flathead grey mullet Mugil cephalus in freshwater eutrophic microcosmos. Hydrobiologia, 429: 49–57.