Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Perciformes (Perch-likes) >
Scaridae (Parrotfishes) > Sparisomatinae
Etymology: Sparisoma: Latin, sparus = a fish with a golden head + Greek, soma = body (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 20 - 50 m (Ref. 27000). Subtropical, preferred 26°C (Ref. 107945); 46°N - 12°N, 32°W - 36°E
Eastern Atlantic: Portugal, Azores and Madeira south to the Canary Islands and Senegal. Mediterranean Sea: more common in the eastern and southern coasts.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 15.5 range ? - ? cm
Max length : 50.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7360); common length : 30.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6761)
In shallow water along rocky shores. Feed on algae and small invertebrates (Ref. 6761, 56146). Herbivore species with specialized pharyngeal bones and muscles (Ref. 52194, 52195). Breeding occurs from July to September, with juveniles recruiting in late summer in Portugal (Ref. 56146).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Males matured at the same ages and sizes as did females, and size ranges of males and females overlapped, strongly suggesting gonochorism for this species (Ref. 103751).
Randall, J.E., 1990. Scaridae. p. 883-887. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 7360)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial
More information
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
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