Spondyliosoma cantharus

S. Chaikin

Size range: 30-45 cm

Common size: 30 cm.

Depth range: 10-60 m

Habitat:

  • Hard - rocky bottom
  • Quite often in open water
  • young's live in shallower water (even littoral) often over seagrass beds.

Water column position:

  • Supra-benthic but Quite often in open water

Schooling characteristics:

  • Solitary (??)
  • Small - medium groups

Colors & patterns: Focus on unique characteristics which distinguish the species from others, specify differences between:

  • body deep almost symmetrical (belly as round as the back).
  • overall color is greyish with more or less visible thin blue and yellow longitudinal lines.
  • sides and belly more silvery
  • dark color on the rear of the tail
  • Males breeding pattern (Med)- more or less visible dark bars. body bright blue often with a dark zone behind the eye when exaited. cheeks may become almost white during mating.
  • Note - In the Atlantic there is a different display of male breeding colors.
  • juveniles - orange color body.

Behavior:

  1. Whether the species is:
  • Reef-associated - related to sites it inhabits

2. Activity:

  • Diurnal (?)

3. Approach:

  • Indifferent
  • Easily approached

4. Unique behavior:

5. Feeding characteristic - omnivore.

Native/Exotic: Native


EM notes: different colors for reproductive males