334 White, Striped Mullet 



Economic Importance: None. Probably a source of food 

 for larger fishes in some areas. 



White Mullet 

 Mugil curema Cuvier and Valenciennes 



Color: Back dark green; sides silvery, belly paler. Bluish- 

 black spot at base of pectoral fin. 



Distribution: Occurs in warm and temperate seas. In the 

 western Atlantic it is found from Cape Cod to Brazil. 

 Size: In the southern part of its range it may reach a length 

 of 3 feet, but fish less than 14 inches are more common. 

 In the north the fish taken are usually less than 6 inches 

 long. 



General Information: The habits of this species are very 

 similar to those of the striped mullet. However, the White 

 Mullet spawns in the spring, while the striped mullet 

 spawns in autumn and winter. 



Economic Importance: This species is caught by the com- 

 mercial fisheries south of Virginia, but it is not as impor- 

 tant as the striped mullet because of its smaller size. It is 

 frequently used as a bait in the marine recreational 

 fisheries of our southern states. Both the white and striped 

 mullet are hardy, active fishes in the brackish-water home 

 aquarium. 



Striped Mullet 

 Mugil cephalus Linnaeus 



