South Africa country information

Common names: White steenbras, Witsteenbras
Occurrence: native
Salinity: brackish
Abundance: abundant (always seen in some numbers) | Ref: van der Elst, R.P. and F. Adkin (eds.), 1991
Importance: commercial | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: gamefish: yes;
Comments: Ranges from the Orange River mouth to Natal. Stock sound; a prime angling species; also caught commercially in beach seines (Ref. 4332). Also Ref. 3507, 4517, 5213, 12484.
National Checklist:
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Smith, J.L.B. and M.M. Smith, 1986
National Database:

Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-likes) > Sparidae (Porgies)
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

Marbré du Cap, Herrera del Cabo, Erla, ... more

Main reference

Bauchot, M.-L. and M.M. Smith. 1984. (Ref. 3507)
References | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3198); common length : 65.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3507)

Length at first maturity
L_m 54.0 range ? - ? cm

Environment

Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; amphidromous (Ref. 51243); depth range ? - 150 m (Ref. 27121)

Climate / Range

Subtropical, preferred 16°C (Ref. 107945); 22°S - 31°S

Distribution

Southeast Atlantic: known only from the Orange River mouth to Natal, South Africa.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8. Silvery in color, crossbars fade with age.

Found over sandy substrate, in estuaries and oceanic waters. Enters lagoons (Ref. 3198). Feeds bottom invertebrates, including worms, crabs and shrimp (Ref. 27121). Spawns in the sea but uses estuaries as nursery grounds. Prime angling fish. Important food fish. Sold fresh and whole in markets.

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Endangered (EN) (A2bcd; B2ab(ii,v))

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development

Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance

References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion

Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD₅₀ = 0.5625 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
3.1 ±0.1 se; Based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.1)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
High to very high vulnerability (72 of 100)

Price category (Ref. 80766)
Low

Lithognathus lithognathus (Cuvier, 1829)