Flathead grey mullet
Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758
The flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) is a bony fish in the family Mugilidae, order Mugiliformes. It is also called Bully, Mullet, Poddies, Haarder and Springer.
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Quick facts about the flathead grey mullet
The species was named by Linnaeus, 1758, and belongs to the genus Mugil in the class Teleostei. On the IUCN Red List it is assessed globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- 30 cm – 75 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- coastalsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the flathead grey mullet?
Photos of the flathead grey mullet
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the flathead grey mullet live?
Not recorded
What is the flathead grey mullet?
The striped mullet (Mugil cephalus) is an important food fish species in the mullet family Mugilidae. It is found in coastal temperate, subtropical, and tropical waters worldwide. Its length is typically 30 to 75 centimetres (12 to 30 in). It is known with numerous English names, including the flathead mullet, flathead grey mullet, striped mullet, black mullet, bully mullet, common mullet, grey mullet, sea mullet, and mullet.
The striped mullet is a mainly diurnal coastal species that often enters estuaries and rivers. It usually schools over sand or mud bottoms, feeding on zooplankton, dead plant matter, microalgae, and detritus. The adult fish normally feed on algae in fresh water. The species is euryhaline, meaning they can acclimate to different levels of salinity.
From the Wikipedia article “Flathead grey mullet” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flathead_grey_mullet&oldid=1381868647), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the flathead grey mullet endangered?
The flathead grey mullet is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the flathead grey mullet classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderMugiliformes
- familyMugilidae
- genusMugil
- SpeciesMugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms Arnion cephalus, Ello cephalus, Mugil albula, Mugil ashanteensis, Mugil berlandieri, Mugil camptosiensis, Mugil catalarum, Mugil cephalas, Mugil cephalotus, Mugil cephalus ashanteensis, Mugil cephalus cephalus, Mugil cephalus rammelsbergi, Mugil cephalus var. cestreo, Mugil cephalus var. chelone, Mugil cephalus var. myxone, Mugil ciliilabis, Mugil constantiae, Mugil crenilabis our, Mugil crenilabis our, Mugil dobula, Mugil gelatinosus, Mugil grandis, Mugil guentherii, Mugil hypselosoma, Mugil japonicus, Mugil lineatus, Mugil marginalis, Mugil mexicanus, Mugil muelleri, Mugil mulleri, Mugil mülleri, Mugil our, Mugil peruanus, Mugil plumieri, Mugil provensalis, Mugil rammelsbergii, Mugil tang, Mugil tongae, Mugil trichilus, Mugil vulpinus, Myxus barnardi, Myxus caecutiens, Myxus flavus, Myxus lepidopterus, Myxus niger, Myxus pacificus, Myxus superficialis, Myxus tincoides, Sparus cetaceus
Other names and names in other languages (299)
- Black mulletEnglish
- Black mulletEnglish
- Black true mulletEnglish
- Black true mulletEnglish
- Bright mulletEnglish
- Bright mulletEnglish
- BullyEnglish
- Bully mulletEnglish
- Bully mulletEnglish
- Callifaver mulletEnglish
- Callifaver mulletEnglish
- Common grey mulletEnglish
- Common grey mulletEnglish
- Common mulletEnglish
- Common mulletEnglish
- Flathead GreymulletEnglish
- Flathead mulletEnglish
- Flathead mulletEnglish
- Galapagos mulletEnglish
- Galápagos mulletEnglish
- Golden grey mulletEnglish
- Gray mulletEnglish
- Grey mulletEnglish
- Grey mulletEnglish
- HaarderEnglish
- HaarderEnglish
- Hard-gut mulletEnglish
- Hardgut mulletEnglish
- Hardgut mulletEnglish
- Hardgut river mulletEnglish
- Longaram mulletEnglish
- Mangrove mulletEnglish
- Mangrove mulletEnglish
- MulletEnglish
- MulletEnglish
- PoddiesEnglish
- Poddy mulletEnglish
- River mulletEnglish
- River mulletEnglish
- Sand mulletEnglish
- Sea mulletEnglish
- Sea mulletEnglish
- SpringerEnglish
- Striped mulletEnglish
- Yellow-tailed mulletEnglish
- BlaneutAcehnese
- SpringerAfrikaans
- Platkop-harderAfrikaans
- PlatkopharderAfrikaans
- BiahArabic
- بوري البحرArabic
- بوري رمادي مفلطح الرأسArabic
- بوري (سمك)Arabic
- AnubahArabic
- AraabyArabic
- AsfatiyaArabic
- BeyahArabic
- BiyahArabic
- BouchakfaArabic
- BouriArabic
- Bouri kabir elrasArabic
- GawafaArabic
- GharybArabic
- GutaranaArabic
- Kifol gedol haroshArabic
- Mugil cephalusAzerbaijani
- ЛабанBelarusian
- КефалBulgarian
- Морски кефалBulgarian
- BalanakBikol
- AinBangla
- meilh bihenBreton
- Cap PlaCatalan
- llissa llobarreraCatalan
- Aitamcal
- Aguascal
- Laiguan-asutcal
- Banakcbk
- Lisascbk
- GisawCebuano
- LiguanChamorro
- 加拉帕戈鯔Chinese
- 加拉帕戈鲻Chinese
- muzaruCorsican
- mazzarduCorsican
- MileSeselwa Creole French
- cípal hlavatýCzech
- Stribet multeDanish
- Galapagos-multeDanish
- Storhovad multeDanish
- Gemeine meeräscheGerman
- Gestreifte meeräscheGerman
- Gewöhnliche meeräscheGerman
- großkopf MeeräscheGerman
- Grossköpfige meeräscheGerman
- GroßkopfmeeräscheGerman
- MeeräscheGerman
- ΜπάφαGreek
- ΚέφαλοςGreek
- ΚεφαλόπουλοGreek
- CephalosGreek
- MpafaGreek
- lisaSpanish
- AlburSpanish
- BullûaSpanish
- CabeçutSpanish
- CabezudoSpanish
- CachambaSpanish
- CapitánSpanish
- CapitonSpanish
- CéfaloSpanish
- GalupeSpanish
- Iliça de Cap GrosSpanish
- Iliça SabadaSpanish
- Ilissa LobarreraSpanish
- LebrancheSpanish
- Lisa cabezudaSpanish
- Lisa comúnSpanish
- Lisa pardeteSpanish
- lisa rayadaSpanish
- Lissa AmariaSpanish
- Liza CabezonaSpanish
- LizarraSpanish
- LizzaSpanish
- MachuSpanish
- MachutoSpanish
- MugilSpanish
- Mugil comúnSpanish
- MujolSpanish
- MujólSpanish
- mújolSpanish
- MuleSpanish
- MuxoSpanish
- pardeteSpanish
- PordeteSpanish
- Harilik kefaalEstonian
- lazunaBasque
- korrokoi bizkarbeltzBasque
- JuovakelttiFinnish
- KotoFijian
- AnaceFijian
- GuéseouFon
- mugeFrench
- CabotFrench
- CaridaFrench
- CaridouFrench
- CremoleFrench
- MeuilFrench
- meuilleFrench
- Muge à Groose TêteFrench
- Muge cabotFrench
- muge cephaleFrench
- Muge céphaleFrench
- Mugo FangousFrench
- MujouFrench
- MuletFrench
- mulet à grosse têteFrench
- Mulet bleuFrench
- mulet cabotFrench
- Mulet JauneFrench
- Mulet JeuneFrench
- Mulet-cabotFrench
- MüsaroFrench
- petit mulet grisFrench
- Poisson queue bleueFrench
- TestardFrench
- TestuFrench
- קיפון בוריHebrew
- קיפון גדול-ראשHebrew
- BabašCroatian
- Cipal batašCroatian
- Cipal glavašCroatian
- GlavašCroatian
- SkocacCroatian
- Nagyfejű tengeri pérHungarian
- BelanakIndonesian
- MujaItalian
- BaldigareItalian
- BolpinaItalian
- CapazzoneItalian
- CapocefaloItalian
- CapozzoItalian
- CapuozzoItalian
- cefaloItalian
- Cefalo comuneItalian
- Cefalo mazzoneItalian
- Cefalo veraceItalian
- Cefalo veroItalian
- CefaluItalian
- CefoloItalian
- Cefulu ciriniItalian
- CiavariniItalian
- CieflItalian
- CievolloItalian
- CievoloItalian
- FirzettaItalian
- GefaluItalian
- GlissàItalian
- LissaItalian
- MassunItalian
- MattarelloItalian
- MazzoneItalian
- MeciaItalian
- MeciatinoItalian
- MeciatoItalian
- MermaItalian
- MuggineItalian
- Muggine calamitaItalian
- Muggine orifrangioItalian
- MulettaItalian
- TestolinaItalian
- TistazzaItalian
- Vocche mozzeItalian
- VolpinoItalian
- ボラJapanese
- カラスミボラJapanese
- BoraJapanese
- 숭어Korean
- didžiagalvė kefalėLithuanian
- Zoulémey
- Mulet voiléMorisyen
- Bika ndranomasinaMalagasy
- KanaeMāori
- തിരുതMalayalam
- KaplatMaltese
- MulettMaltese
- Mulett ta' l'imcarrtaMaltese
- Ikan AndapongMalay
- AalderDutch
- DiklipharderDutch
- grootkopharderDutch
- harderDutch
- MulteNorwegian
- CefalPolish
- cefal pospolityPolish
- mugemPortuguese
- CagarrazPortuguese
- CambiroPortuguese
- CuremàPortuguese
- curimãPortuguese
- Curimã-íPortuguese
- Eirigo-do-rioPortuguese
- fatacaPortuguese
- OlhalPortuguese
- TainhaPortuguese
- TaínhaPortuguese
- Tainha-negraPortuguese
- tainha-olhalvoPortuguese
- Taínha-olhalvoPortuguese
- Tainha-sabãoPortuguese
- chefalRomanian
- лобанRussian
- Кефаль лобанRussian
- черная кефальRussian
- CìfaluSicilian
- glavati cipeljSlovenian
- cumriAlbanian
- BarbunAlbanian
- cumrakuAlbanian
- gushtakuAlbanian
- Qefulli i veresAlbanian
- qefulli i verësAlbanian
- JavraSerbian
- Cipol glavašSerbian
- Grå multeSwedish
- Storhovedet multeSwedish
- Storhuvad multeSwedish
- Tjockläppad multeSwedish
- చారల ముల్లెట్Telugu
- ปลากระบอกเทาThai
- AgwasFilipino
- KefalTurkish
- Avrita baliğiTurkish
- has kefalTurkish
- Haskefal baliğiTurkish
- Kefal baliğiTurkish
- Koklan baliğiTurkish
- Topan baliğiTurkish
- Topan KefaliTurkish
- ЛобаньUkrainian
- Кефаль лобаньUkrainian
- Кефаль-лобанUkrainian
- Cá Dối MụcVietnamese
- Cá đối đầu dẹtVietnamese
- Cá Đối mụcVietnamese
- waradyalxdk
- 乌头（乌頭）Cantonese
- Wu tauCantonese
- Wu tau tzeCantonese
- 鯔Chinese
- 信魚Chinese
- 回頭烏Chinese
- 大烏Chinese
- 正烏Chinese
- 正頭烏Chinese
- 烏魚Chinese
- 鯔魚Chinese
- 奇目仔(成魚)Chinese
- 青頭仔(幼魚)Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the flathead grey mullet
Other species in the same genus Mugil.
Josea
Mugil curema
Liza
Mugil liza
Leaping African mullet
Mugil capurrii
Lisita
Mugil hospes
Mullet
Mugil incilis
Fantail mullet
Mugil trichodon
CompareFlathead grey mullet vs JoseaFlathead grey mullet vs LizaFlathead grey mullet vs Leaping African mulletFlathead grey mullet vs Lisita
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the flathead grey mullet?
The flathead grey mullet is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Mugilidae in the order Mugiliformes.
What is the scientific name of the flathead grey mullet?
Its scientific name is Mugil cephalus, in the genus Mugil.
Who named Mugil cephalus and when?
Mugil cephalus was named by Linnaeus, 1758.
Is the flathead grey mullet endangered?
No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is not a threatened category.
What other names does the flathead grey mullet have?
It is also called Bully, Mullet, Poddies, Haarder and Springer.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/flathead-grey-mullet
“Flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/flathead-grey-mullet.
@misc{flathead_grey_mullet_2026,
title = {Flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/flathead-grey-mullet},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}