Thinlip mullet

{{Short description|Species of fish}} {{Speciesbox | status = NT | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name = IUCN>{{cite iucn |author=Ford, M. |year=2024 |title=''Chelon ramada'' |volume=2024 |article-number=e.T135714A21910870 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T135714A21910870.en |access-date=5 March 2025}}</ref> | image = Liza ramada.jpg | taxon = Chelon ramada | authority = ([[Antoine Risso|Risso]], 1827)<ref name=EoL>[http://www.eol.org/pages/356521 Encyclopedia of Life]</ref> | synonyms = *''Mugil ramada'' Risso, 1827 *''Liza ramada'' (Risso, 1827) *''Mugil capito'' [[Georges Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1829 *''Liza capito'' (Cuvier, 1829) *''Mugil britannicus'' [[John Hancock (ornithologist)|J. Hancock]], 1830 *''Mugil dubahra'' [[Achille Valenciennes|Valenciennes]], 1836 *''Mugil caustelus'' [[Giovanni Domenico Nardo|Nardo]], 1847 *''Mugil petherici'' [[Albert Günther|Günther]], 1861 *''Liza alosoides'' [[Henry Weed Fowler|Fowler]], 1903 *''Myxus maroccensis'' [[Erna Mohr|Mohr]], 1927 | synonyms_ref = <ref name = FishBase>{{FishBase|Chelon|ramada|month=June|year=2018}}</ref> }}

The '''thinlip mullet''' ('''''Chelon ramada''''') is a species of [[fish]] in the family [[Mugilidae]]. It is found in shallow European waters and is a migratory species.

==Description== [[File:Thinlip_Grey_Mullet_Vertebrae.png|thumb|Vertebral types of the thinlip grey mullet (Chelon ramada)]] The thin lip mullet has an elongate body compressed laterally. The head is short and flattened and the mouth is broad with a narrow upper lip and no tubercles. There are two dorsal fins. It is steely blue above and paler beneath. The scales are large and there is no externally visible lateral line.<ref>[http://www.grid.unep.ch/bsein/redbook/txt/liza.htm?%20PISCES United Nations Environment Programme: ''Liza ramada'']</ref>

Its maximum length is around 70  cm, with the common specimen being around 35  cm. The largest specimens recorded weighed over three kilograms.<ref>[http://www.efsa.co.uk/record/mulletgreythinlipped.htm European Federation of Sea Anglers]</ref>

Spawning takes place at sea, near the coast between September and February. {{Cn|date=January 2021}}

==Distribution== The thinlip mullet is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from [[Cape Verde]] and [[Senegal]] north to the [[Baltic Sea]]. It is also found in the [[Mediterranean Sea]], [[Black Sea]] and [[Azov Sea]].<ref name=EoL/>

It is a pelagic species, usually occurring inshore, entering lagoons and estuaries, and rivers. It feeds on epiphytic algae, detritus, and small benthic or planktonic organisms. It is common between 0–10m, rarely deeper than that.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}

==Fishing== Thinlip mullet is commercially caught mainly with gill nets, trammel nets, beach seines and sometimes cast nets. In recreational fishing, spearguns and rods and reels with floats are used. Hooks are baited with bread, various pastes, fish guts and similar baits. One must be careful when pulling and reeling in larger mullets since hooks can sometimes hook only soft lips and catch can be easily lost.

==Cuisine== Meat is white, tender and very soft. Since Thinlip mullet can be found in polluted waters too, taste and quality of the meat vary. Specimen caught in clear waters have great taste and can be prepared in many ways. It is the best barbecued with some olive oil and lemon juice and as part of mixed fish stew with boiled potatoes and/or polenta.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{Commons category-inline|Liza ramada}}

[[Category:Chelon|thinlip mullet]] [[Category:Fish of Europe]] [[Category:Fish of the Mediterranean Sea]] [[Category:Marine fish of West Africa]] [[Category:Marine fish of North Africa]] [[Category:Fauna of Macaronesia]] [[Category:Taxa named by Antoine Risso]] [[Category:Fish described in 1827|thinlip mullet]]