Latin name

Planiliza carinata

Other name

Planiliza carinata

Identification

Keeled mullet has a broad head, a mouth as wide as the head, a well-developed fatty eyelid covering most of the pupil. The upper lip is thin. The axillary scales are rudimentary. There are 31-39 scales on the lateral line, and the scales on the head extend so far forward as to reach the anterior nostrils. 

Features of fish fins

The tip of the pectoral fin is below the beginning of the first dorsal fin. The dorsal fin has 5 spines and 8-9 rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 9 rays. 

Fish colouring

The back of the Keeled Mullet is grayish blue, the sides and belly are silver. 

Distribution

Widespread in the western Indian Ocean, especially in the Red Sea. Colonized the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, where they are still found in the canal and associated salt lakes. They have also been recorded in the freshwater Sea of Galilee in Israel, where they were probably introduced among fry collected from a nearby estuary to replenish the lake.

Habitat

A tropical pelagic and euryhaline species, tolerant of wide temperature variations, found mainly in coastal marine waters. Also found in bays and estuaries.

Size

Keeled mullet grow to 30 cm, but 15 cm fish are more common. Life expectancy is usually three years, but the most rapid growth occurs in the first year of life. Maximum reported weight: 145.10 g. 

Behavior

In spring, they migrate to lagoons and estuaries with abundant macrophyte vegetation, and in winter they move to deeper coastal waters. Juveniles are associated with floating algae. 

Food and feeding habits

Keeled mullet feed mainly on bottom algae and small mollusks.

Reproduction

Oviparous, eggs are pelagic and non-glutinous. Males reach sexual maturity at a total length of 12.5 cm and females at 13.4 cm. A female can lay between 24500 and 115258 eggs and the spawning season in the Gulf of Suez can last from November to March.  

Fishing

A species of minor commercial importance. Usually caught as bycatch in other mullet fisheries and usually smaller than the target species. 

Relationship with a person

Harmless. This species has a lower growth rate than other mullet species, but there is a high market demand for this species in Egypt, resulting in high prices, especially when processed into salted fish.