The striped mullet, Mugil cephalus . Illustration by Diane Rome Peebles, courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Division of Marine Fisheries.
Body shape is cylindrical anteriorally, becoming somewhat laterally compressed toward the posterior.
Adult coloration is bluish-gray or greenish above, becoming silver along the sides of the body, and white on the ventral surface. There are 6-7 black horizontal bars along the sides of the body, and no obvious lateral line. The pectoral fins are placed high on the shoulders, and the pelvic fins are abdominal. M. cephalus has a blunt snout, and a small, somewhat upturned mouth. In Florida, M. cephalus is the most common of the mullet species, but also occurs with M. curema , the white mullet, and M. gyrans , the fantail mullet.