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Trees- ShrubsStriped Seabream ( Lithognathus mormyrus )
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Lithognathus mormyrus is a medium fish of 7-20cm (1), which reaches a maximum of 55cm (2). The body form is elongately ovoid, and well compressed (2); the head gently slopes into an elongated, pointed snout (1). The mouth of the Striped Seabream contains a series of conical teeth at the anterior of each jaw, molariform teeth are present in a series of rows; 3-6 in the upper jaw and 2-4 in the lower jaw (1).
The dorsal fin of L. mormyrus has 11-12 spines and 11-12 soft rays; the anal fin has 2 spines and 10-11 soft rays (1) (2). There are 59-65 lateral line scales up to the caudal base (1). The pectoral is short, and finishes before the anus (2).
The Striped Seabream has a silvery grey base colouration, it is darker dorsally; 14-15 narrow dark grey to black transverse stripes are found on the body (1) (2). There are no dark marks on the caudal peduncle (1); the inter-ocular space and snout are a dark brown, the dorsal and caudal fin are a brownish colour, and the other fins are lighter (2).
L. mormyrus is a gregarious species that sometimes forms large schools (1) (2) (3). It is benthopelagic, and like other sparids is often found frequenting the surf zone, primarily at dawn (4).
The Striped Seabream is found in the littoral zone inhabiting sandy bottoms or Posidonia seagrass meadows to depths of 50m in the western Mediterranean (1) (2); in the eastern Mediterranean they are found to 80m, and 150m in the Atlantic (2).
The spawning season of L. mormyrus is in the winter and spring; the egg and larvae are planktonic (1). They are hermaphroditic protandrous (3), beginning life as a male becoming a female. It takes approximately two years to reach sexual maturity (1) (2), which is approximately 14cm (2).
L. mormyrus is common throughout the Mediterranean, although absent from the Black Sea, and can be found from Bay of Biscay to Cape of Good Hope (2) (3). It is also found in the Red Sea and Western Indian Ocean (2).
The Striped Seabream is carnivorous, feeding mostly on molluscs and crustaceans; also known to ingest worms and echinoderms (1) (2).
Not evaluated under the IUCN Redlist (5).
Description written by Ben Harvey (2009)
(1) Golani, D., Özturk, B. and Başusta, N. 2006. Fishes of the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkish Marine Research Foundation, Istanbul, Turkey. 259pp.
(2) Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae, ed. X, vol. 1, 824 pp. Nantes & Pisces: pp. 230-338. (Reprint, 1956, London.)
(3) Bauchot, M.L. and Hureau, J.C. 1990. Sparidae. In Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). Paris: UNESCO.
(4) Sala, E. & Ballesteros, E., 1997. Partitioning of space and food resources by three fish genus Diplodus (Sparidae) in a Mediterranean rocky infralittoral ecosystem. Marine Ecology Progress Series, (152), pp.273-83.
(5) IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 27 July 2009.
