Diassanga mullet

The Diassanga mullet (Chelon bandialensis) is a species of ray-finned fish, grey mullet from the family Mugilidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic around the coasts of West Africa.

Diassanga mullet
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Mugiliformes
Family: Mugilidae
Genus: Chelon
Species:
C. bandialensis
Binomial name
Chelon bandialensis
(Diouf, 1991)[2]
Synonyms

Liza bandialensis Diouf, 1991

Description

The Diassanga mullet has a rounded, rather robust body with a pointed head which is about a quarter of the length of the body. The eye is surrounded by a small rim of adipose tissue and its upper lip has a thickness equal to a third of the diameter of the eye while the lower lip is much thinner. It has a silvery blueish-grey back with paler flanks which are marked with seven longitudinal grey lines. The anal and dorsal fins are yellow, as is the caudal fin but this has a black margin. They grow to 43.9 centimetres (17.3 in) in standard length.[3]

Distribution

The Diassanga mullet is an eastern Atlantic species which occurs in the coastal waters of Senegal, Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.[1]

Habitat and ecology

The Diassanga mullet is a relatively large and uncommon species within its distribution[3] where it occurs in shallow coastal waters and estuaries with sandy substrates. It breeds in estuaries.[1] Its larval and juvenile stages are unknown.[4]

Taxonomy and naming

The Diassanga mullet and the southern African striped mullet (Chelon tricuspidens) are closely related and these two taxa seem to have separated when the Benguela Current, as it exists today, was formed about 3-12 million years ago.[4] The specific name refers to the Bandiala, one of the constituent rivers of the Sine-Saloum in Senegal.[5]

Conservation

This species is subjected to some subsistence fisheries and the total grey mullet catch in west Africa in 2010 was 30,257 tons. The IUCN classify this species as Data Deficient and state that more research is needed into its current population size and trend as well as its habitats, ecology, life history and any threats to its population.[1]

References
  1. Camara, K.D.; Djiman, R.; Nunoo, F.; et al. (2015). "Chelon bandialensis". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T42830242A42837282. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T42830242A42837282.en.
  2. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Liza bandialensis". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  3. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2018). "Chelon bandialensis" in FishBase. June 2018 version.
  4. Jean-Dominique Durand & Alan K. Whitfield (2015). "Biogeography and Distribution of Mugilidae in the Western, Central and Southern Regions of Africa". In Donatella Crosetti & Stephen J. M. Blaber (eds.). Biology, Ecology and Culture of Grey Mullets (Mugilidae). CRC Press. p. 112. ISBN 978-1482252132.
  5. Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (4 June 2018). "Mugiliformes". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
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