Flathead Mullet

The flathead mullet, Mugil cephalus, is a mullet of the genus Mugil in the family Mugilidae, found in coastal tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. Its length is typically 30 to 75 centimetres (12 to 30 in). This species occurs worldwide, attested by other common names for this fish:

• Black mullet - Cuba, US
• Bully mullet - Australia, Vietnam
• Callifaver mullet - Cuba, Netherlands Antilles, US
• Common grey mullet - UK
• Common mullet - Cuba, Netherlands Antilles, US
• Flathead grey mullet - India, Philippines (where it's known as either aligasid or talilong), UK
• Flathead mullet - Europe, FAO, UN, Fishbase
• Grey mullet - Turkey, Australia, Taiwan, Cuba, Fiji, Hong Kong, Mauritius, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Spain, Tonga, UK, US, Mediterranean, Egypt
• Hardgut mullet - Australia
• Mangrove mullet - Australia
• Sea mullet - Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, UK
• Striped mullet - Australia, Cuba, Mexico, UK, US, Hawaii

The Striped Mullet is a mainly diurnal coastal species that often enters estuaries and rivers. The Striped Mullet usually schools over sand or mud bottoms, feeding on zooplankton. The Adult fish normally feed on algae in fresh water. The maximum size the Striped Mullet may reach is approximately 120 cm, with a max weight of about 8,000 g. The species is euryhaline meaning that the fish can acclimate to different levels of salinity; this combined with the acclimation of juveniles to high water temperatures appears to be a selective advantage.