Family XV. Mugilid.-e. 185 



Family XV. Mugilidse. 



The Mullets. 



'Body oblong, more or less compressed, covered with rather large 

 cycloid scales; no lateral line, but the furrows often deepened on the 

 middle of each scale forming lateral streaks; mouth small, the 

 jaws with small teeth or none; premaxillaries protractile; gill rakers 

 long and slender; gills 4, a slit behind the fourth; two dorsal fins well 

 separated, the anterior one of 4 stiff spines, the last one of which is 

 much shorter than the others; air bladder large, simple; alimentary 

 canal long; peritoneum usually black; vertebrae 24. 



A large family of fishes inhabiting the coasts of warm seas, a few 

 entering fresh water. 



KEY TO THE GENERA OF MUGILID^E. 



a. Stomach muscular, gizzard-like; front of low- page 



er jaw angular Mugil 185 



aa. Stomach not gizzard-like; front of lower jaw 



not angular. 



b. Teeth small, conical, in villiform bands on 



jaws, vomer and palatines ; mouth with lateral 



cleft, not overhung by the blunt tumid snout. 



c. Anal spines 2 Agonostomus 186 



cc. Anal spine single Neomugil 187 



bb. Teeth coarse, broad, truncate, incisors with 

 their free edges serrate; smaller teeth on 

 vomer, none on palatines; mouth small, in- 

 ferior; lower jaw forming a sharp soft edge Joturus 188 



Subfamily Mugilinee. 

 7(). Mugil (Artedi) Linnaeus. 



Mugil (Artedi) Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 3 161, 758. (Type, Mugil 

 cephahis Linnaeus.) 



Body oblong, somewhat compressed, covered -with large scales; 

 head large, convex, scales above and on sides; mouth small, subin- 

 ferior, the lower jaw angulate; jaws with one or a few series of short, 

 flexible, ciliform teeth; no teeth on vomer or palatines; eye large, with 

 an adipose eyelid little developed in the young; stomach muscular, 

 like the gizzard of a fowl. 



The species of this group run in large schools along the shores and 

 in brackish lagoons of all warm regions. They feed on organic matter 

 contained in the mud. 



