Mullet

Mullet, also known as rougunzi (Liaoning, Hebei), red-eye fish (Shandong), red-eyed mullet, red-eye grey mullet (Zhejiang, Fujian), zhaiyu (Guangdong).

(1) Morphological characteristics

The snout is short; the front part of the body is subcylindrical, and the rear part is laterally compressed. The eyes are relatively small, the adipose eyelid is not well developed, and there is a red ring around the eye. The maxilla bends abruptly downward at the corner of the mouth. The origin of the first dorsal fin is closer to the tip of the snout than to the base of the tail. The posterior margin of the caudal fin is slightly concave. The body is bluish grey, the belly is white, and there are black longitudinal stripes on the sides of the body. All fins are light grey.

(2) Living habits:

1. Habits

Mullet is distributed along the coasts of China, but is more common in the north and less common in the south. It is lively by nature and likes to jump. It inhabits estuaries and harbors and can enter fresh water. Juvenile fish like to gather in schools and have obvious phototaxis and rheotaxis. Mullet has a very wide tolerance to salinity, with a suitable salinity range of 0-38‰. It can live in seawater, brackish water, and fresh water. Its tolerance to temperature is also very wide. It can live in waters with a water temperature of 3-35°C, with an optimum water temperature of 12-25°C, and -0.7°C is lethal.

2. Reproduction

The breeding season of mullet varies from place to place: in Bohai Bay it is from the end of April to early June, and in Zhejiang it is from early April to early May. The age at sexual maturity is generally 2-3 years for males and 3-4 years for females. The number of eggs carried is 1.5-6 million. The eggs are pelagic, with an egg diameter of 0.9-1 mm and 1 oil globule.