Scientific Name
Lithognathus mormyrus

Common Name
Sand steenbras

Biology
Found on the shelf, over sandy and muddy bottoms as well as seagrass-beds and estuaries. Gregarious, sometimes forming sizeable schools. Feeds on worms, mollusks and small crustaceans. Protandric hermaphrodite (Ref. 3688). Flesh excellent (Ref. 3198); sold fresh and dried.

Classification

Classified By

Linnaeus, 1758

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Perch-like fish (Perciformes)

Family

Porgies (Sparidae)

Distribution

Region

Eastern Atlantic

Distribution

Eastern Atlantic: Bay of Biscay, Strait of Gibraltar and Mediterranean, Black, and Azov seas to Cape of Good Hope, South Africa and the Mozambique Channel. Also found around the Canary Islands, Cape Verde (Ref. 4781) and Madeira Is (Ref. 74541). Western Indian Ocean: Red Sea; southern Mozambique to the Cape of Good Hope; not found in tropical east Africa (Ref. 3198).

Range

50°N - 40°S

Environment

Climate

Subtropical

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

0 m

Depth To - meters

150 m

Zone

demersal

Environment

Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 0 - 150 m (Ref. 3688), usually 10 - 20 m (Ref. 37413)

Trophic Level

3.42 s.e. 0.50 Based on food items.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

True

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

False

Is kept in Aquariums

False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

55.0 cm

Common Length

30.0 cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5625 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes

Vulnerability

Moderate vulnerability (40 of 100)

Resilience

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.24; tm=2)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Not Evaluated