Description: A medium-sized seabream. Body oblong and moderately compressed laterally. Short head, with a blunt snout. Cheeks scaly. Single dorsal fin. Pectoral fins relatively short. Caudal fin forked. Bluish grey with 10 or 11 orange or golden longitudinal lines on the body, along rows of scales. The head is darker, and the eyes are yellow. It has a small black spot at the pectoral fin base. Caudal fin dark grey; other fins light-coloured.
Global Distribution: Eastern Atlantic from the Bay of Biscay to South Africa, and in the Mediterranean Sea. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum length 51.0 cm (standard length); common length 30.0 cm (SL).
Age:
Weight length rel.: Portugal, south coast (Borges et al. 2003): a=0.01068, b=3.087, r2=0.99 (n=46).
Portugal, south coast (Santos et al. 2002): a=0.0367, b=2.730, r2=0.882 (n=143).
FishBase: Bayesian estimated length-weight: a=0.01413 (0.01245 - 0.01602), b=3.04 (3.01 - 3.07).
Growth type: Negative allometric
von Bertallanfy growth parameters:
Reproduction: Protandric hermaphrodite.
Maturity: 16.5 cm.
Behavioural ecology: Gregarious, sometimes forming sizeable, compact schools.
Population structure & migrations:
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: FishBase: 5 - 70 m
Habitat: Benthopelagic. Found over rocky substrates and sandy area with algal growth.
Feeding habits: Young feed mainly on crustaceans; adults almost exclusively herbivorous.
Trophic level: FishBase: 2.0
FISHERIES
Commercial interest: Minor commercial species.
Conservation status: Global: Not evaluated.
Europe: Least concern.
Nutritional information & food safety:
REFERENCES
Borges T.C., Olim S., Erzini K. (2003). Weight–length relationships for fish species discarded in commercial fisheries of the Algarve (southern Portugal). Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 19(6): 394-396.
Direcção Regional de Pescas, Madeira.
Fischer W., Bianchi G., Scott W.B., eds. (1981). FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Eastern Central Atlantic; fishing areas 34, 47 (in part). Canada Funds-in-Trust. Ottawa, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, by arrangement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, vol. 4, 316 pp.
González J., Hernández C., Marrero P., Rapp E. (2000). Peces de Canarias: GuÃa Submarina (5th edition). Francisco Lemus Editor, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canarias, Spain, 235 pp.
Hureau J.-C., ed. (1984-1985). Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. UNESCO. Accessed through: Marine Species Identification Portal. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://species-identification.org (2014).
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
Nieto A., Ralph G.M., Comeros-Raynal M.T., Kemp J., GarcÃa Criado M., Allen D.J., Dulvy N.K., Walls R.H.L., Russell B., Pollard D., GarcÃa S., Craig M., Collette B.B., Pollom R., Biscoito M., Labbish Chao N., Abella A., Afonso P., Ãlvarez H., Carpenter K.E., Clò S., Cook R., Costa M.J., Delgado J., Dureuil M., Ellis J.R., Farrell E.D., Fernandes P., Florin A-B., Fordham S., Fowle, S., Gil de Sola L., Gil Herrera J., Goodpaster A., Harvey M., Heessen H., Herler J., Jung A., Karmovskaya E., Keskin C., Knudsen S.W., Kobyliansky S., KovaÄić M., Lawson J.M., Lorance P., McCully Phillips S., Munroe T., Nedreaas K., Nielsen J., Papaconstantinou C., Polidoro B., Pollock C.M., Rijnsdorp A.D., Sayer C., Scott J., Serena F., Smith-Vaniz W.F., Soldo A., Stump E., Williams J.T. (2015). Europen Red List of Marine Fishes. IUCN and European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 90 pp.
Santos M.N., Gaspar M.B., Vasconcelos P., Monteiro C.C. (2002). Weight–length relationships for 50 selected fish species of the Algarve coast (southern Portugal). Fisheries Research, 59(1): 289-295.
