Species: Mugil trichodon, Fantail Mullet

Mugil trichodon Poey, 1875

Fantail Mullet

Body ~ cylindrical, slightly compressed at front; head deeper than wide at level of edge of operculum; top of head flat; fatty (adipose) tissue covering most of eye; mouth small, rear end of upper jaw reaching to level of anterior rim of eye, opens at front, lips thin (depth of center of top lip 5-8% of head length), lower lip with a prominent median knob; outer row of small (usually visible to naked eye) sturdy, spaced teeth in jaws with one point, weakly recurved, lower jaw teeth smaller than top jaw teeth, top jaw may also have inner row of smaller teeth; two short, widely spaced dorsal fins, IV (origin equidistant between tail fin base and tip of snout) + l, 7 (rarely 8); anal fin III, 8 (II, i8 in juveniles); pectorals high on body, 1st ray hard, i, 15-16, not quite reaching level of origin of first dorsal fin; scales in lateral series from top of pectoral base to base of tail fin 31 (28-34), 10.5-12 in transverse series, 15 (15-16) around base of tail; second dorsal and anal entirely with small scales; no lateral line.

Olive with bluish reflections on back; dorsal fin dusky; pectoral with dark bluish spot at origin; anal and pelvic fins yellowish.

Size: grows to 30 cm.

Habitat: inshore marine waters plus estuaries, lagoons.

Depth: 0-25 m, typically inshore.

Bermuda to the southern Caribbean.