Animal Species:Pinkeye Mullet, Trachystoma petardi (Castelnau, 1875)

The Pinkeye Mullet is a stout fish with a large belly and a deeply forked tail. It is endemic to Australia.

Alternative Name/s

Freshwater Mullet, Pinkeye, Richmond Mullet, River Mullet

Identification

The Pinkeye Mullet is a stout fish with a large belly and a deeply forked tail. It has a small head that is shorter than the body depth. The species is greenish brown above, and silvery on the sides and below. The fins are dusky coloured. The species is frequently placed in genus Myxus.

Size range

The species grows to 80 cm in length and 7.5 kg in weight, although is more commonly found at sizes up to 40 cm.

Distribution

It is endemic to Australia. It occurs in freshwater coastal streams, as well as estuarine and coastal waters from southern Queensland to southern New South Wales.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information.  Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Trachystoma petardi

Distribution by collection data

Ozcam map of Pinkeye Mullet specimens in the Australian Museum.

What does this mean?

Classification

Species:
petardi
Genus:
Trachystoma
Family:
Mugilidae
Order:
Mugiliformes
Class:
Actinopterygii
Subphylum:
Vertebrata
Phylum:
Chordata
Kingdom:
Animalia

What does this mean?

References

  1. Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp. (as Myxus petardi)
  2. Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & G.R. Allen. 2006. Fishes. In Beesley, P.L. & A. Wells. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Australia. parts 1-3, pages 1-2178.
  3. Merrick, J.R. & G.E. Schmida. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes. Biology and Management. John R. Merrick. Pp. 409. (as Myxus petardi)
  4. Thomson, J.M. in McDowall, R.M. 1996. Freshwater Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Reed Books. Pp. 247. (as Myxus petardi)

 


Mark McGrouther , Collection Manager, Ichthyology
Last Updated:

Tags Fishes, Ichthyology, Pinkeye Mullet, Trachystoma petardi, Mugilidae, Freshwater Mullet,