Details
Sparus aurata
A valued sparid of the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic, marked by a golden band on the forehead and shell-crushing teeth.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
Lives in shallow Mediterranean, Black Sea, and eastern Atlantic coastal waters, lagoons, and estuaries. Young fish often enter brackish areas.
The body is silvery with a golden band between the eyes. Molar-like teeth crush mollusks and other hard prey.
Small groups move over rocky areas, seagrass beds, and sand, shifting depth with temperature and season.
It eats mollusks, crustaceans, sea urchins, and small fish, using strong teeth to break shells.
Many individuals mature first as males and later become females. Spawning occurs from autumn into winter.
Gilthead seabream is a major Mediterranean aquaculture fish, known in markets as dorade or orata.
