Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Mugil cephalus

Ūoa (AK)

Striped Mullet

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adults	35KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Striped Mullet, Sea Mullet, Striped Mullet, Grey Mullet, Flathead Mullet; French Muget Cabot

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Ūoa (AK), Ūava (TS TW), Aua / Aliki < Aua (PK); Other Polynesian - Anae (TAH), Kanae (TUA), Avatai (MQA)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical; s. to NZ

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; RR. PLUS:; Marine, near-shore, Nearshore, enters freshwater

KEY FEATURES: To 40cm. Blunt snout; round body; additional eyelid covers part of pupil and extends >2x pupilØ behind eye; Lateral Row scales 38-42. Silvery grey above, silver below; with narrow dark and light stipes; fins silvery-grey, Tail ± blackish or yellow-green.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Engel's Mullet (Moolgarda engeli) has extra eyelid extends <1x pupilØ behind eye (vs >2x); is without stripes (vs fine stripes); is to 15cm SL (vs. to 40cm); Lateral Row scales 32-35 (vs. 38-42). Bluespot Mullet (Moolgarda seheli (e. to Samoa) has prominent blue-black spot at Pectoral joint.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P					^P

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
			P

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758
SYNONYMS: Mugil dobula [O]; Mugil chaptalii; Neomyxus chaptalii

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Mugiliformes; MUGILIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimens gillnet Avatiu pass. & beach seine Muri, to BPBM ID J.E.Randall (Sims88). Aitutaki: field-specimen, NBSAP School, 12/2000, ID GM. Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004.

References:
p.421 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 69-05 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 285 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List