Fantail Mullet

Family Mugilidae, MULLETS
Mugil gyrans

Description: color olive green with blue tints on back, shading to silvery sides, white below; anal and pelvic fins yellowish; dark blotch at base of pectoral fin; inverted V-shaped mouth; insertion of second dorsal over that of the anal fin.

Similar Fish: striped mullet, M. cephalus; white mullet, M. curmea (note difference in shape of fins and opercular margins, see inset).

Where found: INSHORE, occurring along beaches in the fall.

Size: small mullet, less than 1 pound.

Remarks: spawns in NEARSHORE or possibly INSHORE waters during spring and summer; juveniles occur INSHORE; feeds on algae, small crustaceans, and detritus.

*The Florida records quoted are from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and are not necessarily the most current ones. The records are provided as only as a benchmark.