Thick-lipped mullet
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Thick-lipped mullet ( Chelon labrosus ) |
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| Chelon labrosus | ||||||||||||
| ( Risso , 1827) |
The thick-lipped mullet ( Chelon labrosus ) is a species of mullet that can be found in the northeast Atlantic, the North Sea, the western and southern Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
features
The thick-lipped mullet has an elongated, spindle-shaped body that is characteristic of the mullet and reaches a body length of up to 80 centimeters. The head, which is flattened on the top, has a mouth with the enlarged upper lip which is characteristic of this species and which is provided with fine protrusions (papillae). The back is dark gray to blue, the flanks are silver gray in color and have 4 to 5 dark longitudinal stripes.
Mullets have two dorsal fins, the first has 4 hard rays and the second one hard and 8 to 9 soft, the anal fin 3 hard and 9 to 10 soft rays. The pelvic fins are on the chest.
distribution
The thick-lipped mullet can be found in the north-eastern Atlantic from Norway , the North Sea and Great Britain as well as the western and southern Baltic Sea to West Africa in the area of Senegal and around the Cape Verde and Canary Islands and in the Mediterranean .
Way of life
Mullets live as pronounced schooling fish in the coastal area, where they occasionally invade lagoons and estuaries. In summer, they are mainly found in the surface area and graze on algae and invertebrates near the ground. In winter they retreat to deeper layers and stop eating as much as possible.
The spawning season falls in winter in the Mediterranean and in spring in more northern areas. The eggs are released into the open water and float in the surface water due to stored oil droplets. The age of this species can be up to 9 years.
Importance to humans
Mullets are popular food fish that are caught in the open sea and also kept in aquaculture .
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e Andreas Vilcinskas : Fish - Central European freshwater species and marine fish of the North and Baltic Seas . BLV Verlagsgesellschaft, Munich 2000; 142. ISBN 3-405-15848-6 .
- ↑ a b thick-lipped mullet on Fishbase.org (English)
literature
- Andreas Vilcinskas : Fish - Central European freshwater species and marine fish of the North and Baltic Seas . BLV Verlagsgesellschaft, Munich 2000; 142. ISBN 3-405-15848-6 .
Web links
- Thick-lipped mullet on Fishbase.org (English)
- Chelon labrosus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M., 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2014.