| Remarks |
Can survive in freshwater but does not breed in it (Ref. 4967). In some areas such as Shark Bay and the Houtman Abrolhos in Western Australia, adults live in marine waters throughout the year. This behaviour seems to occur only where estuarine and freshwater habitats are limited (Ref. 28722). A small proportion (probably about 5%) (Ref. 28722) of older juveniles may leave the estuaries and migrate along the beaches in early summer. The migration may be associated with flooding of rivers and is referred to as the 'hardgut' migration because the mullets' guts are empty (Ref. 28722). Migrating sea mullet do not feed during either the 'hardgut' migration or spawning migration (Ref. 6390). Feed on zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, microalgae, and detritus (Ref. 11889). Undergo ontogenic shift in diet (Ref. 41769). Small mullet (< 4 cm SL) feed exclusively on sediment by browsing. Large mullet (< 4 cm SL) have been observed to feed by grazing on the sediment (Ref. 41769). Changes in the feeding habits from planktonic organisms and migratory zooplankton to meiobenthos which takes place between 0.1 and 0.2 cm length, and a switch from meiobenthos to microbenthos between 0.15 and 0.25 cm length (Ref. 56101). Sea mullet normally feed close to the river bed in shallow water, but do move throughout the water column in river channels and individuals often jump high out of the water (Ref. 6390). Sea mullet have a strong tendency to school as juveniles and during the spawning season as adults. Feeding schools of juveniles commonly disperse over sand and mud flats of estuaries during high tide and reform on the ebb tide (Ref. 28722). Presence of sharp pointed teeth that enable the species to select fine material (Ref. 74863).
In southwestern Australia, Mugil cephalus is a dominant finfish in the middle and upper estuaries especially in winter and spring - up to 95% of frequency of occurrence (Lonengan & Potter 1990). Has a short, well-defined juvenile recruitment period; although found in freshwater, occurs in far greater numbers in all areas of estuaries and is common in the sea (Ref. 74748, 74749). Gill-raker filaments were found in the stomach captured using gill net. Mullets struggle to be free of the constricting meshes, food is often regurgitated at an early stage, subsequent gasping of oxygen would then easily cause gill-rakers, broken loose in the struggle, to be swalowed (Ref. 74739).
Also Refs. 12676, 26213. |