Description ²

Found on the shelf, over sandy and muddy bottoms as well as seagrass-beds and sometimes enters brackish waters. Gregarious, sometimes forming sizeable schools. Feeds on worms, molluscs and small crustaceans. Protandric hermaphrodite (Ref. 3688). An important foodfish. Sold fresh and dried in markets.

Distribution ³

Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, eastern Atlantic: Bay of Biscay to South Africa including Madeira and Canary Islands; Western Indian Ocean: South Africa north to Mozambique; Red Sea immigrant.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Roberto Pillon, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Lithognathus_mormyrus_2.jpg
2. (c) WoRMS for SMEBD, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/28495780
3. (c) FishWise Professional, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/8588602

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• FishBase
• FishSource
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• VertNet
• World Register of Marine Species

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