Diving with Grey Mullets

Lanta Marine Life | Mugilidae

The grey mullets are a family of medium to large sized fish comprising 78 species and are found world-wide, though only one species is regularly spotted while diving Koh Lanta.

Grey mullets often have longish bodies, broad, flat heads, two well separated dorsal fins, small mouths and few or no teeth. The pectoral fins are set high up on the side of the body and the scales are rough and medium to large in size. The tail fin is concave or may be weakly forked.

Grey mullets are not always grey in colour, in fact they can be dark blue, dark olive, greenish, or greyish on the back, with silvery or pale/yellowish sides and undersides. Some species may have a dark bar or spot at the base of the pectoral fins. Some species have faintish dark stripes following the scale rows. The fins can be dusky or pale yellowish, particularly the pelvic fins, and may also have dusky margins.

Travel in schools and feed on algae, waste and debris found in the sea, with some species have unusually strong stomachs to help in digestion.

1 species found on this page:

Flathead Grey Mullet (Mugil cephalus)

Flathead Grey Mullet

(Mugil cephalus)

Mugil cephalus @ Koh Bida

The Flathead Grey Mullet has a broad head, with a robust cylindrical body. The body colour is mostly olive-brown, and slightly more silvery on the lower body/belly.

This species can be easily identified by the small dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin.

The Flathead Grey Mullet grows to 70 cm, but usually observed 20 cm - 30 cm.

Small schools of adults are regularly seen grazing algae from rocks and dead coral areas in shallow water in the southern bay at Koh Bida Nok, moving quickly between feeding areas.