Chelon auratus (Risso, 1810)

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 805

Chelon auratus

Common name. Golden mullet.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of mullets entering freshwaters in West Asia by: ○ usually a golden or orange blotch on opercle / ○ predorsal scales with a single or no longitudinal groove / ○ 20 circumpeduncular scale rows / ○ when folded forward, pectoral reaching eye / ○ no black spot at pectoral base / ○ posterior extremity of upper jaw not reaching anterior rim of eye / ○ posterior angle of preorbital bone pointed / ○ 40–46 total scales in lateral series / ○ without adipose tissue rim around eye / ○ pectoral short, not reaching close to vertical of first dorsal origin / ○ flank plain silvery grey / ○ upper lip smooth / ○ preorbital bone fills space between lip and eye / ○ caudal forked. Size up to 500 mm SL.

Distribution. Mediterranean, Black Sea, and eastern Atlantic from Cape Verde and Senegal to southern Norway and British Isles (not reaching southern Baltic); northern Red Sea. Introduced in Caspian Sea.

Chelon labrosus ; Iqem, Morocco, ~ 70 mm SL.

Habitat. Pelagic near shore, sometimes in lagoons and estuaries. Most freshwater-tolerant Chelon species recorded from West Asia. Spawns at sea.

Biology. Gregarious. Spawns September–November. Juveniles move to coastal lagoons and estuaries in winter and especially in spring. Juveniles feed on zooplankton and larger individuals on algae and plant detritus.

Conservation status. NT; like almost all Chelon , this species has declined considerably over the last 20 years.

Remarks. Chelon auratus has entered the northern Red Sea from the Mediterranean and has recently been reported from this area. It is unclear whether the species is expanding its range in the Red Sea.

Further reading. Ben-Tuvia, in Whitehead et al. 1986 (description); Gandolfi et al. 1991 (biology); Thomson 1997 (systematics).