Scientific Name
Sciaena umbra

Common Name
Brown meagre

Biology
Occurs in shallow coastal waters mainly on rocky and sandy bottoms, often entering estuaries and more active at night. Also inhabits caves and reefs (Ref. 9987). Feeds on small fishes and crustaceans (Ref. 4780). SCUBA diving observations suggest this to be a very calm fish with remarkable buoyancy control and an ability to move without much apparent effort (Ref. 9505). Marketed fresh and frozen; in Turkey, otoliths are ground to a powder and used as remedy for urinary tract infections (Ref. 9987).

Classification

Classified By

Linnaeus, 1758

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Perch-like fish (Perciformes)

Family

Drums or croakers (Sciaenidae)

Distribution

Region

Eastern Atlantic

Distribution

Eastern Atlantic: English Channel to Mauritania, occasionally southwards to Senegal. Also throughout the Mediterranean and Black seas. Records from Ghana (Ref. 6810) and Gabon (Ref. 5516) are questionable.

Range

53°N - 13°N, 19°W - 42°E

Environment

Climate

Subtropical

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

Unknown m

Depth To - meters

200 m

Zone

demersal

Environment

Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range ? - 200 m (Ref. 9505)

Trophic Level

3.7 s.e. 0.65 Based on diet studies.

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

70.0 cm

Common Length

28.0 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: commercial

Vulnerability

High vulnerability (64 of 100)

Resilience

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.19; tm=3; tmax=21)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Not Evaluated