Teleostei (teleosts) >
Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) >
Sparidae (Porgies)
Etymology: Sparodon: Latin, sparus = a fish with a golden head + Greek, odous = teeth (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Castelnau.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 0 - 80 m. Tropical
Southeast Atlantic: Cape of Good Hope to Natal in South Africa. Also recorded from Djibouti (Ref. 5450) and from Mozambique (Ref. 5213).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 35.0  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 120 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3507); common length : 70.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3507)
Inhabits shallow coastal waters, mainly off rocky shores down to 80 m depth. Rarely enters estuaries. Young commonly found in tide pools. Feeds mainly on mollusks (Ref. 5213). An important food fish.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Smith, J.L.B. and M.M. Smith, 1986. Sparidae. p. 580-594. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. (Ref. 3198)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
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