White Sea Bream
Diplodus sargus
Juveniles are known to act as cleaners, picking parasites off the bodies of other fish species in the reef.
- Scientific name
- Diplodus sargus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Actinopterygii › Acanthuriformes › Sparidae › Diplodus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- aquatic
- Habitat
- Rocky littoral zones, seagrass meadows (Posidonia), and sandy bottoms down to 50 meters.
- Diet
- Omnivorous; primarily consumes mollusks, crustaceans, worms, and various marine algae.
- Range
- Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, South Africa
- Size
- Typically 20-30 cm, reaching a maximum of 45 cm.
- Lifespan
- 10-12 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Commercial and recreational overfishing, and degradation of coastal nursery habitats.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. These fish are curious but shy. Divers can observe them near rocky outcroppings. If fishing, handle with wet hands to preserve their protective mucus layer before release.
Diplodus sargus , called white seabream and sargo , is a species of seabream native to the eastern Atlantic and western Indian Oceans. It is found from the Bay of Biscay southwards to South Africa, including Madeira and the Canary Islands, the Mediterranean and (rarely) the Black Sea. Occasionally individuals are found off the Indian Ocean coasts of South Africa, Mozambique and Madagascar, and they are very rarely found elsewhere in the Indian Ocean, such as off Oman....
Photo: Roberto Pillon, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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