Description: A large bramid fish. Dorsal profile of head strongly arched and rounded. Blunt snout. Large mouth with heavy jaws. Spiny dorsal fin, stiff and falcate; similar anal fin; both long-based. Pectoral fins long and wing-like; pelvic fins short. Scales with a strong central spine (except in the largest individuals), creating the impression of distinct horizontal lines along the body. Black overall except for whitish paired fins and edges of median fins.
Global Distribution: North Atlantic. Absent from the Mediterranean. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum length 100.0 cm (standard length).
Age:
Weight length rel.:
Growth type:
von Bertallanfy growth parameters:
Reproduction: Young are present in all seasons.
Maturity:
Behavioural ecology: Often solitary; occasionally forms small schools.
Population structure & migrations: Highly migratory species.
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: FishBase: 0 - 500 m
Habitat: Oceanic; epipelagic. Occasionally close to shore.
Feeding habits: Feeds on shrimps and squids.
Trophic level: FishBase: 4.5
FISHERIES
Commercial interest: Commercial species.
Conservation status: Global: Not evaluated.
Europe: Least concern.
Nutritional information & food safety:
REFERENCES
Carpenter K.E., ed. (2002). The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Volume 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae), sea turtles and marine mammals. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5., Rome.
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.
