Biology
provided by Arkive
The red porgy has a fascinating life history; all individuals start life as females, and then some change sex to become functional males (4). This sex transition may take place when the red porgy is a juvenile or, more commonly, after the age of three years (7), with some individuals not changing until the female is 6.5 years old (8). Sex change in fish is normally trigged by environmental or social factors, but what exactly triggers sex change in the red porgy is not known (8).
In the western Atlantic, the red porgy spawns during winter and early spring (4) (7), while in the Mediterranean, spawning takes place from spring until summer (4). Females are believed to produce eggs throughout the spawning season, releasing around 55 batches of eggs into the surrounding waters each year (7). Sea temperatures between 16 and 22 degrees Celsius are optimum for spawning in the red porgy (4). Between 28 and 38 hours after the eggs have been fertilised by the male's sperm, the eggs hatch. The resulting larvae are transported by ocean currents for 30 days or more (9), before settling on the sea bottom (7). The red porgy develops at a rather fast rate for the first four years of life, with the growth rate slowing significantly as sexual maturity is reached (4). These fish are known to live for up to 18 years (9).
Red porgy are carnivorous fish (3) (6), which tend to feed in schools on a variety of marine animals found on the ocean floor. Their strong teeth enable them to eat snails, crabs and sea urchins, as well as worms and small fishes (3).
Conservation
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In some areas of its range, fishery regulations exist for the red porgy. For instance, off the southern coast of the United States there is a size limit in place, a ban on the sale or purchase of red porgy between January and April (an important spawning period), and limits to how many can be caught during a fishing trip (11).
Description
provided by Arkive
This commercially important fish is named for the rosy tint to its fins and upperparts (2) (3). The red porgy has a shimmering silvery-white underside and rows of small blue spots pattern the upper body (3). It has a large head, with a distinctive sloping forehead, rather large eyes (2), and prominent teeth (3). Two blue streaks, one above and one below the eye (3), highlight the head, while the tail is edged in black and has white tips (2).
Habitat
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While juvenile red porgys are generally found in shallow waters over soft bottoms (5), adults are typically found over more hard-bottomed areas in deeper waters (5) (6).
Range
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The red porgy occurs in the Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea, from New York and Argentina in the west, to the British Isles and Senegal in the east (4).
Status
provided by Arkive
Classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List (1).
Threats
provided by Arkive
This Endangered species is of great interest to commercial fisheries in certain parts of its distribution (4). For example, it is one of the most important fishes taken by the Moroccan fishing fleet (4), and the second most important species for coastal bottom fisheries in the Azores (5). There is some evidence that this exploitation is having a negative effect on red porgy populations; for example in southern Brazil, trawl fishing during the 1970s left red porgy stocks over-exploited (10).
Diagnostic Description
provided by Fishbase
This species is distinguished by the following characters: body oval, moderately deep. Head profile convex, slightly steeper in front of eye; 6 or 7 rows of scales on cheeks; preopercle scaleless; both jaws anteriorly with large canine-like teeth, 4 in upper and 6 in lower jaw, followed by smaller and blunter canine-like teeth that become progressively molar-like toward the posterior third of jaws; the 2 outer rows of strong teeth are flanked in the region anterior to the molars by several rows of very small teeth; gill rakers short, lower limb of first arch with 8 to 10, 6 to 8 on upper limb. Dorsal fin with 12 spines and 9 to 12 soft rays; anal fin with 3 spines and 8 or 9 soft rays. Scales along lateral line 52 to 60. Colour: pink with silvery reflections, lighter on belly; head dark from nape to angle of mouth; sometimes, fine blue dots present on upper sides, particularly conspicuous in young individuals; often a somewhat darker area at pectoral fin axils; caudal fin dark pink, with both tips white; other fins pinkish (Ref. 109259).
- Recorder
- Estelita Emily Capuli
Life Cycle
provided by Fishbase
Protogynous hermaphrodite species. First sexual maturity occurs at 3 years of age (about 24 cm), first behaving as females and then as males. Spawning happens at 1 5-19° and it tends to be in spring,depending on the habitat (in the Canary Islands it can start in January). Also Ref. 28504, 41163.
- Recorder
- Crispina B. Binohlan
Migration
provided by Fishbase
Oceanodromous. Migrating within oceans typically between spawning and different feeding areas, as tunas do. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.
- Recorder
- Christine Papasissi
Trophic Strategy
provided by Fishbase
Found over rock, rubble, or sand bottoms (young frequently found on seagrass beds and the continental shelf (Ref. 47377)) down to about 250 m depth, often above 150 m. Feeds on crustaceans, fishes, and mollusks (Ref. 3688). Mobile invertebrate feeder (Ref. 126840). In southwest Brazil found in 160 m depth (Ref. 47377).
Biology
provided by Fishbase
Found over rock, rubble, or sand bottoms (young frequently found on seagrass beds and the continental shelf (Ref. 47377)) down to about 250 m depth, often above 150 m. In southwest Brazil found in 160 m depth (Ref. 47377). Feeds on crustaceans, fishes, and mollusks (Ref. 3688). Its toxic nature is uncertain (Ref. 4690). Marketed fresh and frozen (Ref. 9987). Reported weights of caught individuals were between 9 to 17 kgs (9-10 off the west coast of Greece) (Hans Bollnert, hassebollnert@yahoo.gr, pers.comm. 12/09). It is parasitised by the monogeneans Anoplodiscus longivaginatus and Anoplodiscus richiardii (species inquirenda) on the fins and body surface (Ref. 124057).
- Recorder
- Christine Papasissi
Importance
provided by Fishbase
fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
- Recorder
- Christine Papasissi
Red porgy
provided by wikipedia EN
The red porgy (Pagrus pagrus), or common seabream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Sparidae. It is found in shallow waters on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, being present on the western coast of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea as well as the eastern coasts of North and South America and the Caribbean Sea. It feeds on or near the seabed and most individuals start life as females and later change sex to males.
Taxonomy
This fish was first described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his System Naturae. He gave it the name Sparus pagrus but it has since been moved to the genus Pagrus.[2] Common names given to this fish include red porgy, common seabream and porgy. Along the Gulf Coast, it is known as the white snapper, even though it is not a true snapper.[3] In the United Kingdom, it is known as Couch's seabream after the Cornish ichthyologist Dr. Jonathan Couch who first discovered this species in the waters around Britain.[4]
Description
The red porgy is a moderately deep-bodied fish with an oblong shaped body. The standard length is 75 cm (30 in), although a more typical length is about half of this. The dorsal fin has eleven to thirteen spines and nine to ten soft rays while the anal fin has three spines and seven to eight soft rays. This fish is a silvery-pink colour, with darker patches on the nape and behind the pectoral fins. The caudal fin is dark pink with paler tips, and the other fins are pale pink.[5]
Distribution and habitat
The red porgy is found in warm coastal waters on either side of the Atlantic Ocean. On the eastern side, its range extends from southern Britain to Western Sahara, including the waters around the Canary Islands and Madeira and the Mediterranean Sea; its range includes the Sea of Marmara but does not extend into the Black Sea. On the western side of the Atlantic, its range extends from the eastern coast of the United States southward to Argentina; it is present in the Gulf of Mexico and the western part of the Caribbean Sea but not the eastern part. Although it may go as deep as 250 m (820 ft), it more commonly occurs at depths between 10 and 80 m (30 and 260 ft), on continental shelves.[1] It is a demersal species, being found over both rocky areas and areas with soft sediment; juveniles often inhabit beds of seagrass or sometimes enter lagoons.[5]
Ecology
Red porgies are demersal fish, feeding mostly on or near the seabed on crustaceans, molluscs and small fish.[6]
They are protogynous hermaphrodites, with most individuals starting life as females and at some point changing sex to males.[6] The fish reach sexual maturity at two or three years of age. The sex change occurs at a wide range of sizes (206 to 417 mm (8.1 to 16.4 in) TL) and a wide range of ages (two to nine years). Not all fish change sex: some fish are primary males whose ovarian tissue atrophies before they reach maturity, others are secondary males, behaving as females for a few cycles before changing sex, and some remain as females even when large, with only rudimentary male tissue being present. There is some evidence that the timing of the sex change is linked to social or environmental factors.[1]
Status
The red porgy is an important species for both commercial and recreational fishing, especially on the southeastern coast of the United States, Argentina, and the Mediterranean Sea. It is usually taken by rod and line. Populations have declined because of over-exploitation, but in some areas minimum size limits have been set to try to redress this. Stocks have also been augmented by the use of aquaculture, particularly in the Mediterranean, and aquaculture is being considered in North America. Despite the population declines in some areas and the fish's complex biological needs, overall, it is not at risk of extinction and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".[1]
References
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Red porgy: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
The red porgy (Pagrus pagrus), or common seabream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Sparidae. It is found in shallow waters on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, being present on the western coast of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea as well as the eastern coasts of North and South America and the Caribbean Sea. It feeds on or near the seabed and most individuals start life as females and later change sex to males.
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- Wikipedia authors and editors
Distribution
provided by World Register of Marine Species
Western Atlantic: New York, USA and northern Gulf of Mexico to Argentina, including the continental coast of the Caribbean Sea
North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS)
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