Sealife guideThe salemaSarpa salpa
The salema, also known as the salema porgy, has bright yellow stripes that run longitudinally along its body.
Taxonomy
- Common name: Salema, salema porgy
- French name: Saupe, dorade rayée, dorade jaune
- Spanish name: Salema
- Scientific name: Sarpa salpa (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Family name: Sparidae
- Order name: Perciformes
- Class name: Actinopterygii
Description
The salema is a silvery-gray fish characterized by about ten fine, bright yellow stripes running along its entire body. A black spot marks the base of the salema’s pectoral fins.
The salema typically measures around 12 inches in length, with a maximum size of 22 inches.
The salema has an oval, laterally compressed body with a small mouth and striking golden-yellow eyes.
Range
The salema is primarily found in the waters of the Mediterranean sea as well as the eastern part of the Atlantic ocean, such as the mouth of the Strait of Gibraltar, along the coast of the Bay of Biscay and near the Canary islands and Madeira.
Habitat
The salema is a social fish that dislikes solitude and lives mainly in schools. It inhabits shallow, well-lit coastal waters where its primary food sources, algae and Posidonia seagrass beds, grow. Schools of adult salema can also be found swimming in open water.
Diet
The salema is primarily herbivorous, grazing on algae found on the surface of rocks, Posidonia leaves or other marine algae.
The salema grazes on algae at the surface of the Posidonia leaves
Reproduction
The salema is a hermaphroditic fish that changes sex with age and reproduces in spring and fall.
Did you know ?
Salema play an important role in maintaining the balance of coastal marine ecosystems by regulating the growth of algae populations.
Consuming salema can cause hallucinations likely due to the ingestion of toxic algae at certain times of the year.
The salema is listed as many other marine species within The
IUCN Red List of threatened species. The salema appears in the
IUCN Red List since 2014 within the category Least Concern !
Tips for observing
A school of salema is not easily approached and will flee at the slightest detected presence.
A small school of juvenile salema fish grazes on algae at the surface of the rocks
Within the same family
Sheepshead porgy
(Calamus penna)
Jolthead porgy
(Calamus bajonado)
Gilt-head sea bream
(Sparus aurata)
Picarel
(Spicara smaris)
Common two-banded seabream
(Diplodus vulgaris)
White seabream
(Diplodus sargus)
Zebra seabream
(Diplodus cervinus)
Roman seabream
(Chrysoblephus laticeps)
Explore also
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(Chromis chromis)
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(Pomacentrus vaiuli)
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Three spot angelfish
(Apolemichthys trimaculatus)
Emperor angelfish
(Pomacanthus imperator)
Flame angelfish
(Centropyge loriculus)
Foureye butterflyfish
(Chaetodon capistratus)
The marine species from Mediterranean sea
Cardinalfish
(Apogon imberbis)
Ocellate torpedo
(Torpedo torpedo)
Painted comber
(Serranus scriba)
Purse codium
(Codium bursa)
Red scorpionfish
(Scorpaena scrofa)
Smooth starfish
(Hacelia attenuata)
Thornback ray
(Raja clavata)
Tompot blenny
(Parablennius gattorugine)
