Leaping mullet
Encyclopedia
The leaping mullet is a species
of fish
in the Mugilidae family. It is found in European waters.
, and it was introduced into the Black Sea
and the Caspian Sea
in the 1930s and has become established in both.
and include a large oil drop. The newly hatched fry feed get their nourishment from the yolk sac
and grow rapidly. Juveniles feed on zooplankton
at first and then benthic organisms. Males are mature at three years while females are mature in four. The adults are detrivores sand also eat algae and vegetable matter.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
in the Mugilidae family. It is found in European waters.
Description
The leaping mullet is greyish brown above and silvery beneath, with golden reflections on the flank.The fins are orangish-brown.Distribution
The leaping mullet is found in shallow coastal areas of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It also occurs in the Sea of AzovSea of Azov
The Sea of Azov , known in Classical Antiquity as Lake Maeotis, is a sea on the south of Eastern Europe. It is linked by the narrow Strait of Kerch to the Black Sea to the south and is bounded on the north by Ukraine mainland, on the east by Russia, and on the west by the Ukraine's Crimean...
, and it was introduced into the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
and the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
in the 1930s and has become established in both.
Biology
The leaping mullet breeds in the summer. Between five hundred and two thousand eggs are produced and fertilisation is external. The eggs are pelagicPelagic zone
Any water in a sea or lake that is not close to the bottom or near to the shore can be said to be in the pelagic zone. The word pelagic comes from the Greek πέλαγος or pélagos, which means "open sea". The pelagic zone can be thought of in terms of an imaginary cylinder or water column that goes...
and include a large oil drop. The newly hatched fry feed get their nourishment from the yolk sac
Yolk sac
The yolk sac is a membranous sac attached to an embryo, providing early nourishment in the form of yolk in bony fishes, sharks, reptiles, birds, and primitive mammals...
and grow rapidly. Juveniles feed on zooplankton
Zooplankton
Zooplankton are heterotrophic plankton. Plankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. The word "zooplankton" is derived from the Greek zoon , meaning "animal", and , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter"...
at first and then benthic organisms. Males are mature at three years while females are mature in four. The adults are detrivores sand also eat algae and vegetable matter.