''Chelon'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of mullets found in coastal marine waters,

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

and rivers in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

and

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

Anatomy

''Chelon'' possesses the elongated body and dorsal fins typical of the order

Mugiliformes The mullets or grey mullets are a family (Mugilidae) of ray-finned fish found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and some species in fresh water. Mullets have served as an important source of food in Mediterranean Europe since R ...

, with frontal fins defined by four spines and anal fins with soft rays. The maximum sizes described vary between 15 cm for the Cape Verde mullet and 32 cm for the

thicklip grey mullet The thicklip grey mullet, ''Chelon labrosus'', is a coastal fish of the family Mugilidae. It typically is about long, with being the maximum recorded. It is named after its thick upper lip and silvery-grey appearance. It is a common fish of sh ...

Habitat

They are

catadromous Fish migration is mass relocation by fish from one area or body of water to another. Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousan ...

fishes, meaning that they can be found in lagoons and rivers as well as the sea during the reproductive season, fundamentally feeding on

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

and

diatoms A diatom (New Latin, Neo-Latin ''diatoma''), "a cutting through, a severance", from el, διάτομος, diátomos, "cut in half, divided equally" from el, διατέμνω, diatémno, "to cut in twain". is any member of a large group com ...

Taxonomy

Recent cladistic analysis recovered ''Chelon'' as paraphyletic with respect to ''Liza'', so some species of ''Liza'' were reassigned to ''Chelon'' and ''Liza'' synonymized with ''Chelon''.Durand, J.-D., W.-J. Chen, K.-N. Shen, C. Fu, & P. Borsa. 2012. Genus-level taxonomic changes implied b mitochondrial phylogeny of grey mullets (Teleostei: Mugilidae). Comptes Rendus Biologies, 335: 687-697.

Species

The following species are classified in the genus ''Chelon'': * '' Chelon aurata'' ( A. Risso, 1810) (Golden grey mullet) * ''

Chelon bandialensis The Diassanga mullet (''Chelon bandialensis'') is a species of ray-finned fish, grey mullet from the family Mugilidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic around the coasts of West Africa. Description The Diassanga mullet has a rounded, rather ro ...

Diouf Diouf, (French spelling in Senegal) or "Joof" (English spelling in The Gambia) is a Serer surname carried by several personalities : People * Abdou Diouf (born 1935), second president of Senegal, former Secretary-General of La Francophonie * El ...

, 1991 (Diassanga mullet) * ''

Chelon bispinosus ''Chelon bispinosus'' (Cape Verde mullet) is a fish of the family Mugilidae. It is one of seven species in the genus ''Chelon''. It is endemic to waters near Cape Verde in the east central Atlantic Ocean. This species is found in the neritic ...

'' ( S. Bowdich, 1825) (Cape Verde mullet) * ''

Chelon dumerili The grooved mullet (''Chelon dumerili'') is a species of ray-finned fish, a grey mullet from the family Mugilidae. It is found in the coastal waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the western coast of Africa, as far north as Mauritania, and int ...

'' (

Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...

, 1870) (Grooved mullet) * ''

Chelon labrosus The thicklip grey mullet, ''Chelon labrosus'', is a coastal fish of the family Mugilidae. It typically is about long, with being the maximum recorded. It is named after its thick upper lip and silvery-grey appearance. It is a common fish of sh ...

'' ( A. Risso, 1827) (Thicklip grey mullet) * ''

Chelon parsia ''Chelon parsia'', the goldspot mullet, is a ray-finned fish of the family Mugilidae. It is one of seven species in the genus ''Chelon''. This species is found in the Indian Ocean, specifically in shallow coastal waters of Pakistan, India, Sri Lan ...

'' (Hamilton, 1822) (Goldspot mullet) * '' Chelon ramada'' ( A. Risso, 1827) (Thinlip grey mullet) * ''

Chelon richardsonii The South African mullet (''Chelon richardsonii''), also called a harder mullet or simply harder, is a species of Mullet (fish), mullet. It is found in South African coastal waters from Walvis Bay (Namibia) to KwaZulu-Natal, and grows to a maxi ...

'' ( A. Smith, 1846) (South African mullet) * '' Chelon saliens'' ( A. Risso, 1810) (Leaping mullet) * ''

Chelon tricuspidens ''Chelon tricuspidens'', the striped mullet, is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Mugilidae. It is found in southern Africa where its known range comprises Mossel Bay Mossel Bay ( af, Mosselbaai) is a harbour town of about 99,000 ...

'' (

J. L. B. Smith James Leonard Brierley Smith (26 September 1897 – 8 January 1968) was a South African ichthyologist, organic chemist, and university professor. He was the first to identify a taxidermied fish as a coelacanth, at the time thought to be long ex ...

, 1935) (Striped mullet)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q660637 Mugilidae Taxa named by Peter Artedi Marine fish genera

Anatomy

Habitat

Taxonomy

Species

See also

References