Relevant synonyms None Misidentification None Meristic formula D1, IV; D2, I + 8-9; A, III + 9; P, 15-17; V, I + 5 * Note: in recent studies, the generic name has been united with Chelon (see Randall, 1995).  photo : David Darom

SHORT DESCRIPTION Body elongated, subcylindrical. Two well-separated dorsal fins. The first with 4 spines, the first three longer and closer together. Second dorsal fin origin behind anal fin origin. Caudal fin forked. Pelvic fin origin well behind pectoral fin base. A distinct keel in front of dorsal fin. Head robust, wide and somewhat flattened dorsally. Maxilla protractile. Minute teeth in jaws. Large eye, with prominent transparent eyelid covers most of the iris but not the pupil. No lateral line (but 35-40 in lateral series). color : silvery-grey, darker on the back. Often yellowish shades behind eye. size : common 15-25 cm (max. 30 cm). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Mugil cephalus: slit-like eyelid covers most of the pupil; 8 soft rays in anal fin. Mugil soiuy: maxillary pad below mouth cover not visible when mouth closed. Other mugilids: eyelid absent. Scombridae: presence of finlet. Moronidae, Atherinidae and Sphyraenidae: first dorsal fin with 5 or more spines. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Feeds on great variety of food types (e.g. small benthic invertebrates, planktonic organism alga and detritus). Eggs and larvae planktonic. Juveniles, like other members of the family, enter estuaries. habitat : coastal waters with various substrates; also brackish water and hypersaline lagoons.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Port Said, Egypt, 1929. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean. Mediterranean : recorded first off Port Said, Egypt (Norman, 1929) ; successively recorded at Iskenderun, Turkey (Kosswig, 1956). More recently, recorded along the coasts of eastern Libya. ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Common. speculated reasons for success : unknown. MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS Commercial fish in the eastern Levant. Caught by purse seines and trammel nets.

KEY REFERENCES Ben-Tuvia A., 1975. Mugilid fishes of the Red Sea with a key to the Mediterranean and Red Sea species. Bamidgeh, 27: 14-20. Norman J.R., 1929. Notes on the fishes of the Suez Canal. Proceedings of the Zoological Society, London, 2: 616. Randall J.E., 1995. Coastal fishes of Oman. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. 439 pp. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: November 2013 ©ciesm 2002