The White Seabream, also known as Sargo, is a species in the family of Sparidae and thus belongs to the superclass of the bony fish.
Description
Diplodus sargus is laterally compressed and high-backed. The body has a silver colour with several black, vertical stripes. These are not continuous and alternating stronger and weaker. Furthermore, the edges of the back, tail and anal fin are also black. Most noticeable is the black point between tail fin and body.
It reaches a maximum size of 45cm.
Habitat and Distribution
One finds Diplodus sargus over rocky reefs near the coast, down to depths of 50m.
When diving in the Canaries you can see it at every dive.
Diplodus sargus is subclassified into six subspecies. They are found in the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Eastern and Central Atlantic and the south western Indian Ocean.
Biology
The White Seabream lives in small, loose groups. It feeds on mussels, crustaceans, sea urchins and bristles.
Particular is its sexual development. While some of them are male and later female, other animals do not change their sex. They reach their sexual maturity at 2 years.