Marble bream

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Marble bream
Marble Bream (Lithognathus mormyrus)

Marble Bream ( Lithognathus mormyrus )

Systematics
Spinefish (Acanthopterygii)
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Order : Spariformes
Family : Sea bream (Sparidae)
Genre : Lithognathus
Type : Marble bream
Scientific name
Lithognathus mormyrus
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The marble bream ( Lithognathus mormyrus ) is a sea fish from the sea ​​bream family . The distribution area is mainly on the coast of the East Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea .

description

The body length of this fish can be a maximum of 55 cm, but is usually around 30 cm. The body is elongated, spindle-shaped in profile and rather flattened on the belly ("bottom shape"). The cross-section of the animal is flattened on the side. On the head, which is elongated in profile and almost straight to slightly convex, the marble bream has the characteristic terminal, protruding mouth that is somewhat similar to that of a carp . The grayish-silvery flanks show 14 to 15 typical brownish horizontal stripes. With regard to the fins, this species corresponds to the typical picture of sea bream: the first dorsal fin , consisting of eleven hard rays , is connected to the second (12 to 13 soft rays ). The anal fin has 3 hard rays, followed by ten to eleven soft rays. The pelvic fins are pectoral, the pectoral fins set slightly below the middle of the body. The caudal fin is relatively large and clearly split. In terms of color, all fins correspond to the overall color.

Distribution, habitat and way of life

The distribution area of ​​the marble bream stretches from the Bay of Biscay over the entire eastern Atlantic coast, over the Cape of Good Hope to southern Mozambique into the Indian Ocean . The species is also found in the Mediterranean, Black and Red Sea, and around the Macaronesian Islands (except the Azores ). Here she lives in sandy and soft soils as well as seagrass meadows . It mostly occurs in shallow water up to a depth of 80 meters, and occasionally in brackish water from estuaries.

In the sand, the animal looks for small invertebrates that serve as food. Occasionally these are also dug out of the ground. Detritus also plays an important role on the diet of juvenile fish . Marble breams usually form small groups, but are also found in larger schools and alone. It spawns in spring and summer. the animals are proterandric hermaphrodites, that is, they change their sex from male to female in the course of their lives. They reach sexual maturity at the age of about two years with a body length of about 14 cm, at an age of about three and a half years and a body length between around 24 and 35 cm they develop female genital organs. The maximum age of the marble bream is 12 years.

Fisheries and endangerment

Although the quality of its meat is considered excellent, the marble bream only plays a local role in fishing . The animals are caught with nets, traps and lines, among other things . Among other things , it is fished in the Canary Islands , where tourism in the region means that demand is increasing and stocks are shrinking. An inventory decline is also known from Angola . As in the Canaries, fishing for marble bream is increasing in the Mediterranean. Nevertheless, it is listed by the IUCN as "not endangered" ("least concern"), above all due to its large distribution area, which is partly also in marine protected areas , and its frequent occurrence in many places.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Lithognathus mormyrus on Fishbase.org (English)
  2. ^ A b c Matthias Bergbauer, Bernd Humberg: What lives in the Mediterranean ?: An identification book for divers and snorkelers. Franckh-Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-440-07733-0 .
  3. ↑ a b Lithognathus mormyrus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2014 Posted by: B. Russell, KE Carpenter, D. Pollard, BQ Man CD Buxton, 2009. Accessed August 21, 2015.

Web links

Commons : Marble Bream  - Collection of images, videos and audio files