Description: Body deep, strongly compressed; caudal peduncle longer than deep. Head deep, with concave dorsal profile over the eyes. Mouth large and very protractile. The dorsal fin has 9 to 10 high, flexible spines, followed by soft rays. Pectoral fins short; pelvic fins longer. No scales on the body; scutes present along the belly. Large bony bucklers present along the bases of the dorsal and anal fins. Silvery grey, with a dark midlateral spots in juveniles.
Global Distribution: Atlantic and Indian Oceans; also in the Mediterranean. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Max length 80.0 cm (total length); common length 50.0 cm (TL); maximum published weight 3.2 kg.
Growth type: Negative allometric (Torres et al. 2012).
von Bertallanfy growth parameters:
Reproduction: Reproduces in the summer (tropical west Africa).
Maturity: Females: 311 mm (TL).
Behavioural ecology: Found in small schools.
Population structure & migrations:
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: FishBase: 50 - 600 m, usually 150 - 300 m. Larger fish are found in deeper waters.
Habitat: Benthopelagic. Frequently encountered in coastal waters. Occurs near the bottom or in midwater, over muddy substrates.
Feeding habits: Feeds on fishes and squids.
Trophic level: FishBase: 4.5
FISHERIES
Commercial interest: Commercial species. Commercially it is not distinguished from John dory, Zeus faber.
Conservation status: Global: Not evaluated.
Europe: Data deficient.
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.
Carpenter K.E., ed. (2002). The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Volume 2: Bony fishes part 1 (Acipenseridae to Grammatidae). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5. FAO, Rome, pp. 601-1374.
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
Martins R.S., Schwingel P.R. (2012). Biological aspects of the Sailfin dory Zenopsis conchifer (Lowe, 1852) caught by deep-sea trawling fishery off southern Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Oceanography, 60(2): 171-179.
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.
