Home/Species/ Striped Mullet

Mugil cephalus

Linnaeus, 1758

Striped Mullet

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103959

Element CodeAFCQL02010

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassActinopterygii

OrderBlenniiformes

FamilyMugilidae

GenusMugil

Concept Reference

Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.

Taxonomic Comments

Allozyme data indicate that mullet from both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of Florida represent a single gene pool (Campton and Mahmoudi 1991).

Conservation Status

Review Date1996-09-25

Change Date1996-09-25

Range Extent Comments

Tropical and subtropical coastal areas throughout world; also in temperate zone. North to Monterey Bay, California, and to Nova Scotia (most common from Chesapeake Bay south and south of Los Angeles). Native to perennial Hawaiian streams. Absent from Bahamas and most of West Indies and Caribbean.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Marine and estuarine, often ascending coastal rivers for considerable distances. Juveniles and subadults occur in a variety of estuarine and freshwater habitats. Primarily in shallow estuaries. Cannot tolerate temperatures less than 16 C for extended periods. Spawns primarily in open sea, young gradually move back into estuaries. May spawn in river (Moyle 1976).

Ecology

Adults form large schools.

Reproduction

Spawns in fall or winter, depending on locality; sexually mature in 2-3 years (Manooch 1984, Moyle 1976).

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Florida	SNR	Yes
Massachusetts	S4	Yes
Louisiana	S5	Yes
Mississippi	S5	Yes
Arizona	S1	Yes
Indiana	SNA	No
Alabama	S5	Yes
Arkansas	S2	Yes
Georgia	S5	Yes
Texas	S5	Yes
District of Columbia	S1N	Yes
South Carolina	S4	Yes
California	SNR	Yes
North Carolina	S5	Yes
New York	SNRN	Yes
Oklahoma	SNR	Yes
Hawaii	SNR	Yes

Roadless Areas (1)

Florida (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Alexander Springs Creek	Ocala National Forest	2,954

References (13)

Boschung, H. T., and R. L. Mayden. 2004. Fishes of Alabama. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 960 pp.
Burr, Brooks M. (Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University) and Donovan B. Henry. 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. June 2000.
Campton, D. E., and B. Mahmoudi. 1991. Allozyme variation and population structure of striped mullet (MUGIL CEPHALUS) in Florida. Copeia 1991:485-492.
Lee, D. S., C. R. Gilbert, C. H. Hocutt, R. E. Jenkins, D. E. McAllister, and J. R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina. i-x + 854 pp.
Manooch, C. S., III. 1984. Fisherman's guide. Fishes of the southeastern United States. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh. 362 pp.
Marcy, B. C., Jr., D. E. Fletcher, F. D. Martin, M. H. Paller, and M.J.M. Reichert. 2005. Fishes of the middle Savannah River basin. University of Georgia Press, Athens. xiv + 460 pp.
Moyle, P. B. 1976a. Inland fishes of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. 405 pp.
Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp.
Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 2011. Peterson field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. xix + 663 pp.
Page, L. M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, R. L. Mayden, and J. S. Nelson. 2013. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventh edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 34, Bethesda, Maryland.
Page, L. M., K. E. Bemis, T. E. Dowling, H.S. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, K. E. Hartel, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, M. A. Neigbors, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, and H. J. Walker, Jr. 2023. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighth edition. American Fisheries Society (AFS), Special Publication 37, Bethesda, Maryland, 439 pp.
Robins, C. R., and G. C. Ray. 1986. A Field Guide to Atlantic Coast Fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 354 pp.
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.