Planiliza haematocheilus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1845)

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 810

Planiliza haematocheilus

Common name. Soiuy mullet.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of mullets entering freshwaters in Black Sea and Mediterranean basins by: ● posterior extremity of upper jaw reaching beyond anterior rim of eye / ○ predorsal scales with a single longitudinal groove / ○ 41–42 scales in lateral series (not including scales on caudal base) / ○ 24 circumpeduncular scale rows / ○ upper lip smooth / ○ without adipose tissue rim around eye / ○ pectoral short, not reaching close to vertical of first dorsal origin. Size up to 530 mm SL.

Distribution. Coast of East Asia from Vladivostok to Hainan Island. Introduced in Sea of Azov in late 1960s, reached Aegean in 1995. Southernmost record in Aegean from Homa lagoon (İzmir) more widespread.

Habitat. At sea, pelagic near shore. Juveniles enter brackish and fresh waters of lagoons and lower reaches of rivers.

Planiliza klunzingeri ; Shatt al Arab, Iraq; 137 mm SL. © A. Ali.

Spawns at sea and in brackish waters. Often enters freshwater to overwinter.

Biology. Euryhaline, live six years, likely much longer. Feeds on detritus, diatoms and blue-green algae. Eggs and larvae planktonic.

Conservation status. Non-native; situation poorly known. Most abundant Mugilid in Azov Sea. Along shores of Black Sea and possibly Aegean, its expansion corresponds to a sharp decline in native species of Mugilidae , which it appears to be replacing.

Remarks. Surprisingly, there are very few records of this species from the Anatolian, but none from the Georgian Black Sea basin, whereas it is common along the coasts of Russian Caucasus.

Further reading. Starushenko & Kazansky 1996 (introduction); Thomson 1997 (systematics; as L. lauvergnii ); Koutrakis & Economidis 2000 (biology).