Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Perciformes (Perch-likes) >
Sparidae (Porgies)
Etymology: Boops: Greek, bous = caw + Greek, ops = appearance, 1854 (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 350 m (Ref. 26999), usually 0 - 100 m (Ref. 26999). Subtropical; 63°N - 16°S, 26°W - 42°E (Ref. 54286)
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 13.0, range 12 - ? cm
Max length : 36.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3397); common length : 20.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3397)
Eastern Atlantic: Norway to Angola, including the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, and the Sao Tome-Principe Islands. Common from Bay of Biscay to Gibraltar (Ref. 4781). Also found in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
Found on the shelf or coastal pelagic on various bottoms (sand, mud, rocks and seaweeds). Gregarious, ascending to the surface mainly at night. Omnivorous, feeding mainly on crustaceans, also planktophagous. Hermaphroditic, generally protogynous. Also caught in pelagic trawls (Ref. 9987). Utilized fresh and frozen; consumed pan-fried, broiled and baked (Ref. 9987).
Bauchot, M.-L. and J.-C. Hureau, 1990. Sparidae. p. 790-812. 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.
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 90363)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes; bait: usually
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Estimates of some properties based on empirical models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.7500 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00994 (-0.02154 - 0.04142), b=3.00 (2.97 - 3.02), based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 3.0 ±0.1 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.16-0.4; tm=1-2; Fec=395,000).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (41 of 100) .