mugil cephalus is distributed almost all over the world. In China, it is distributed in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea, and waters around Taiwan.

The body of mugil cephalus is long and stout, nearly cylindrical in front and flattened in back. The head is short, flat, with slightly raised sides. The snout is wide and short. The eyes are medium-sized, almost covered by a thick fat film, commonly known as white eyes. The distance between the eyes is wide and flat. 2 nostrils on each side. The mouth is in the lower position, making a figure-eight shape. The teeth are thin and villous, and there are teeth in both upper and lower jaws. The gill opening is large, and the opercular membrane is not connected with the isthmus. Gill cover strips 5. False gills well developed. Gill rakers dense. Except for the snout, the body is covered with large round scales. Two dorsal fins. The first dorsal fin consists of 4 spines, the first spine being the longest. The second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 8 rays, located above the anal fin. The anal fin has 3 spines and 8 rays, the second spine being the longest. The pectoral fins are high and broad, with 16-17 rays. The pelvic fins are located behind and below the pectoral fins. Caudal fin forked, upper lobe slightly longer than lower lobe, posterior margin deeply notched. Head and back of body black. Ventral white. There are 7 black vertical stripes on the upper half of the body, and the dorsal, pectoral and caudal fins are light gray.
mugil cephalus is a euthermic fish, which can be found in waters with a water temperature of 8-24°C, and its main habitat is coastal sandy and muddy bottom waters. Juveniles like to live in brackish waters such as estuaries and mangroves. They can even go to rivers and swim out to sea as they grow. Feeds on zooplankton, benthic organisms, organic debris and microalgae. After the winter solstice in Taiwan, China, the mullet will migrate south to lay eggs and pass through the Taiwan Strait, so it is called "faith fish".