Red mullet
Mullus surmuletus
- Scientific name
- Mullus surmuletus
- Group
- Reef fish
- Rarity
- Common
- Where to see it
- Mediterranean, Temperate Atlantic / English Channel
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Least concern
Did you know?
The red mullet has two long chin barbels packed with sensory receptors, which it uses to probe the sand for hidden invertebrates. Prized since Roman antiquity, it quickly loses its vivid colors once pulled out of the water.
What defines this group — Reef fish
The bony fish that live against coral and rock: the living backdrop of almost every dive.
- A bony skeleton, scales, and a rigid gill cover closing over the gills.
- A swim bladder acts as a float: they hold their depth without swimming.
- Many change colour, pattern — sometimes even sex — over the course of their life.
Other species in this group
- Ocellaris clownfish
- Blue tang
- Red lionfish
- Spot-fin porcupinefish
- Mediterranean moray
- Clark's anemonefish