Squaretail Mullet

Ellochelon vaigiensis

The squaretail mullet is the only member of its genus, an Indo-Pacific grey mullet named for the blunt, almost straight-edged tail that makes it easy to pick out from the round- and fork-tailed mullets alongside it. It is olive-brown above and silvery on the flanks, with a white to yellowish belly and six lengthwise stripes formed by darker scale centres and edges, giving the side a faintly chequered look - hence its other name, the diamondscale mullet. The iris is patched with yellow, the tail fin is obviously yellow, and the fins are edged in dark; in young fish the pectoral fin is solid black, paling to yellowish below with age. It occurs from the Red Sea and the East African coast as far south as Mozambique, east as far as the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia, and north to the southern islands of Japan. Look for it over sheltered sandy shallows, in lagoons and estuaries and among mangroves, where it can gather in large aggregations; it tolerates fresh water well and has been found as much as 10 km up rivers, though it usually stays within reach of the tide. It grazes phytoplankton, algae and detritus, spawns at sea, and its eggs drift freely rather than sticking to the bottom. Juveniles turn up commonly in mangroves and even in rice paddies.