Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Ordo: Syngnathiformes
Subordo: Mulloidei
Familia: Mullidae
Genus: Mullus
Species: Mullus barbatus
Name
Mullus barbatus Linnaeus, 1758
Syntypes: BMNH 1853.11.12.14.
Type locality: Mediterranean Sea; northern Ocean
Synonyms
Mullus barbatus barbatus Linnaeus, 1758
Mullus hispanicus Walbaum, 1792
Mullus ruber Lacepède, 1801
Mullus ruber Shaw, 1803
Mullus minor Costa, 1846
Mullus barbatus ponticus Essipov, 1927
References
Primary references
Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiæ: impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii. i–ii, 1–824 pp DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.542: 299. Open access Reference page.
Additional references
Costa, O. G.; 1829-53: Fauna del regno di Napoli, ossia enumerazione di tutti gli animali che abitano le diverse regioni di questo regno e le acque che le bagnano, etc. Pesci. Part 1: 511 pp. (variously paginated), 60 pls.
Essipov, V. K.; 1927: Rouget (Mullus barbatus L.) du district de Kertch. 1-ère partie -- Systématique. Reports of the Scientific Station of Fisheries in Kertch, 1 (2-3): 101–146.
Lacepède, B. G. E.; 1801: Histoire naturelle des poissons. 3: 1–558, Pls. 1-34.
Shaw, G.; 1803: General zoology or systematic natural history ... Pisces. G. Kearsley, London, 1800-1826. 4: (pt 2), 187-632, Pls. 26-92.
Vasil’eva, E. D.; 2012: Morphological Divergence of Goatfishes (Genus Mullus, Mullidae, Perciformes) of the Black and Mediterranean Seas and the Problem of Assessment of their Taxonomic Relationships. Journal of Ichthyology, 52 (8): 485–491. / Voprosy ikhtiologii, 52 (5): 517–524.
Walbaum, J. J.; 1792: Petri Artedi sueci genera piscium. In quibus systema totum ichthyologiae proponitur cum classibus, ordinibus, generum characteribus, specierum differentiis, observationibus plurimis. Redactis speciebus 242 ad genera 52. Ichthyologiae pars III. Ant. Ferdin. Rose, Grypeswaldiae [Greifswald]. Part 3: 1–723, Pls. 1-3.
Links
Mullus barbatus – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Mullus barbatus in the World Register of Marine Species
Mullus barbatus in FishBase
Vernacular names
aragonés: Salmonet fanguero
български: Барбуня
brezhoneg: Meilh ruz
català: Moll de fang
dansk: Rød mulle
Deutsch: Rote Meerbarbe
dk: Rød mulle
Ελληνικά: Κουτσομούρα
English: Red mullet
español: Salmonete de fango
euskara: Lohietako barbarin
français: Rouget de vase
עברית: מולית אדומה
hrvatski: Trlja blatarica
italiano: Triglia di fango
Ladino: Barbúnya
norsk bokmål: Rødmulle
Nederlands: Gewone zeebarbeel
norsk nynorsk: Raudmulle
polski: Barbata
português: Salmonete-da-vasa
русский: Барабуля усатая
slovenščina: Bradač
shqip: Barbuni
Türkçe: Barbunya
українська: Барабуля звичайна
Mullus barbatus (red mullet) is a species of goatfish found in the Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Marmara, the Black Sea and the eastern North Atlantic Ocean, where its range extends from Scandinavia to Senegal. They are fished, mostly by trawling, with the flesh being well regarded. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed their conservation status as being of "least concern".
Taxonomy
This fish was first described in 1758 as Mullus barbatus by the Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in his Systema Naturae. FishBase currently recognizes two subspecies, though the validity of M. b. ponticus is uncertain:[3][4]
M. b. barbatus (red mullet) Linnaeus, 1758 (found throughout most of its range)
M. b. ponticus (blunt-snouted mullet) Essipov, 1927 (found in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov)
Description
The red mullet can grow to a standard length of 30 cm (12 in), but a more common length is about half that. The body is somewhat laterally compressed. The snout is short and steep and there are no spines on the operculum. The upper jaw is toothless, but there are teeth on the roof of the mouth and on the lower jaw. A pair of moderately long barbels on the chin do not exceed the pectoral fins in length. The first dorsal fin has eight spines (the first one tiny) and the second dorsal fin has one spine and eight soft rays. This fish is rose-pink, without distinctive markings on its fins.[5]
Distribution and habitat
The red mullet is found in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the northeastern and central eastern Atlantic Ocean, where its range extends from Scandinavia southwards to Senegal, including Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira. It is a demersal fish and occurs at depths ranging from 10 to 328 m (30 to 1,080 ft)[1] over muddy, sandy or gravel bottoms.[5]
Ecology
The red mullet is carnivorous, the diet consisting mainly of polychaete worms, bivalve molluscs and crustaceans. The barbels are sensory organs and are used to help locate prey.[6] Both young and adult mullet are preyed on by various fish including the angler fish (Lophius piscatorius), the thornback ray (Raja clavata), the common stingray (Dasyatis pastinaca), the school shark (Galeorhinus galeus), the John Dory (Zeus faber) and the European hake (Merluccius merluccius).[6]
Breeding takes place in the spring and summer, with spawning occurring in April and May in the Adriatic Sea, at depths between 60 and 70 m (200 and 230 ft). The larvae soon move to shallower depths and are pelagic, as are the juveniles at first. At a length of about 5 cm (2 in) the juveniles move to the coast and become demersal, often congregating in estuaries, and sometimes swimming a short distance upstream. Later they disperse to muddy, sandy or gravelly substrates, becoming sexually mature at a length of 10 to 14 cm (4 to 6 in) during their first year of life.[6]
Status
The flesh of the red mullet is much esteemed and it is the target of fisheries, especially in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and northeastern and central eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is mainly caught by trawling, but also with trammel nets, gill nets and hook and line, and in artisanal fisheries with traps and spears. In the Mediterranean there are signs of overfishing, and many of the fish caught are shorter than 15 cm (6 in) in total length, and being under two years old, are not yet sexually mature. For conservation of the species in the Mediterranean, the breeding grounds and nursery areas need to be protected.[1]
It is also heavily fished off the coast of northwestern Africa. Here the fish are caught by local artisan fishermen as well as by foreign industrial fleets; they may be the targeted species or may be bycatch in hake, cephalopod or shrimp fisheries, but the catch statistics are not subdivided by species. There is also thought to be overfishing in the Black Sea. The fish is currently listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being of "least concern" because it has a wide range, occurs at depths down to 328 m (1,080 ft) and is expanding its range northwards as a result of rising sea temperatures.[1]
References
Carpenter, K.E.; Smith-Vaniz, W.F.; de Bruyne, G.; de Morais, L. (2015). "Mullus barbatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T198673A42691799. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T198673A42691799.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
Bailly, Nicolas (2013). "Mullus barbatus Linnaeus, 1758". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Mullus barbatus". Fishbase. December 2013 version.
"Mullus barbatus ponticus". FishBase. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
"Mullus barbatus Linnaeus, 1758". Species Fact Sheets. FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
"Mullus barbatus (Linnaeus, 1758)". FAO – AdriaMed project. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
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