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The Black Seabream (Spondyliosoma cantharus) is a protogynous species of Sparidae fishes, recognisable by their oval, compressed body and jaws, which contain 4–6 rows of slender teeth that are larger at the front. They are silvery in colour with blue and pink tinges and broken longitudinal gold lines. They can reach a maximum size of 60 cm in length. The appearance of this fish varies greatly with age. The young specimens up to 6-7 cm are similar in shape to young sea bream or salps, as the size increases the body shape becomes stocky and the profile high; adult males have a marked cephalic hump and a concave forehead. The livery is greyish with yellowish and blue longitudinal lines in females and juveniles; the latter may have some dark vertical bands. Adult males are bright blue with dark bands on the back and head and a dark spot on the eye (resembles Zorro’s mask). tanuta spondyliosoma cantharus
Black Seabream – Tanuta o Cantaro – Spondyliosoma cantharus – www.intotheblue.it – www.intotheblue.link
Another color pattern (more prevalent in Atlantic fish) of the male is very dark gray with a pair of vertical white bands on the flanks. Species confident when young while adults are very suspicious and difficult to approach. It is the only species of Mediterranean Sparids that does not lay pelagic eggs. In fact, a nest is built by the male in a sandy clearing and the eggs adhere to each other and to the substrate. It reproduces in spring. It is a protogynous hermaphrodite, the young are all female, while the old specimens are male. It feeds on invertebrates, especially small crustaceans and polychaetes. It is one of the sparids with the most northern distribution, in fact it is found as far north as Scandinavia while to the south it reaches Angola. It is present throughout the Mediterranean Sea and is very rare in the Black Sea.
Black Seabream – Tanuta o Cantaro – Spondyliosoma cantharus – www.intotheblue.it – www.intotheblue.link
It is widespread on the Italian coasts but tends to concentrate in some areas and be rare in others. In this species the juveniles occupy very different environments from those of the adults as they are found on bottoms covered by Posidonia oceanica meadows even in shallow waters; mature specimens, on the other hand, prefer rocky bottoms from 10 to 100 meters deep. It is particularly common on the top of shallows offshore or near rocks and small islands that rise from deep seabeds. It is fished both with a rod from the boat and with nets. The meat is good, like that of the sea bream. In Liguria and the French Riviera it is instead considered a poor quality fish.
(extract from Wikipedia)
