Pinkeye mullet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pinkeye mullet |
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The pinkeye mullet (Trachystoma petardi) is a cool fish. People also call it the pinkeye, freshwater mullet, Richmond mullet, or river mullet. It's a type of ray-finned fish from the grey mullet family, called Mugilidae. This fish is special because it's the only species in its group, Trachystoma.
This fish lives only in northeastern Australia. You can find it from the Burnett River in Queensland all the way to the Clyde River in New South Wales. It likes warm, slow-moving rivers. It also lives in estuaries, which are where rivers meet the sea. When it's time to lay eggs, it swims out into the ocean.
How It Got Its Name
A scientist named Francis de Laporte de Castelnau first described the pinkeye mullet in 1875. He gave it the name Mugil petardi. The "petardi" part of its name honors a person named Mr. Petard. Mr. Petard sent Castelnau some fish samples he collected from the Richmond River in New South Wales. One of these samples was the very first pinkeye mullet ever studied!
What Does the Pinkeye Mullet Look Like?
The pinkeye mullet has a dark greenish-brown back. Its belly is shiny and silver. Its fins are a pale yellowish color. This fish has a strong, deep body. It has a small mouth and small eyes.
It can grow quite large, up to about 80 centimeters (31 inches) long. However, most pinkeye mullets are usually around 40 centimeters (16 inches) long.
What Does the Pinkeye Mullet Eat?
This fish is mostly a plant-eater. It loves to munch on algae and other plant materials. It also eats detritus, which is tiny bits of decaying plants and animals. Sometimes, it will eat small creatures that live on the riverbed, like tiny bugs or worms.
