The South African mullet (Chelon richardsonii), also called a harder mullet or simply harder, is a species of mullet. It is found in South African coastal waters from Walvis Bay (Namibia) to KwaZulu-Natal, and grows to a maximum length of 40.5 cm (15.9 in).[2] The person the specific name honours was not recorded by Andrew Smith when he described this species but it is most likely to be John Richardson (1787-1865), the Scottish naturalist, surgeon and Arctic explorer.[3]
| South African mullet | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Mugiliformes |
| Family: | Mugilidae |
| Genus: | Chelon |
| Species: | C. richardsonii |
| Binomial name | |
| Chelon richardsonii (A. Smith, 1846) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
It is also found inland in the waters of the Olifants River (Western Cape).[4]
Local delicacy in South Africa
Mullet fish caught in the sea and estuaries of the West Coast region are processed by salting and air-drying into bokkoms by small local factories around Velddrif and Laaiplek.[4]
See also
- The common name "harder mullet" in Germany refers to the flathead mullet, Mugil cephalus.[2]
- The USS Harder (SS-257), a World War II era naval ship that was named after the fish.
References
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