Sealife guideThe saucereye porgyCalamus calamus
Last updated on 03/22/2025 at 10:34 PM
Taxonomy
- Common name: Saucereye porgy
- French name: Daubenet loto, sarde à plume
- Spanish name: Pluma calamo,pez de pluma,pluma
- Scientific name: Calamus calamus (Valenciennes, 1830)
- Family name: Sparidae
- Order name: Perciformes
- Class name: Actinopterygii
Description
The saucereye porgy has an oval, laterally compressed body with coloration ranging from silvery-gray to bluish on its back, yellowish tones near the head, and slightly pinkish reflections on its flanks.
The saucereye porgy (Calamus calamus)
The saucereye porgy is a medium-sized species, typically measuring around 12 inches in length, though some individuals can reach up to 20 inches.
Geographic range
The saucereye porgy inhabits the warm waters of the western Atlantic ocean, from North Carolina down to the northern coasts of Brazil, including
Florida and the Caribbean sea. It is commonly found in coral reefs around various islands, such as
Guadeloupe.
Habitat
The saucereye porgy primarily dwells in rocky bottoms, coral reefs, and seagrass beds at depths ranging from 30 to 330 feet.
Diet
The saucereye porgy is an opportunistic carnivore that primarily feeds on
mollusks,
crustaceans, and other benthic invertebrates. With its strong teeth, it can crush the shells of bivalves and gastropods.
Reproduction
Like many members of the Sparidae family, the saucereye porgy is a protogynous
hermaphrodite, meaning individuals are born female and transition to male as they age. Spawning occurs mainly in spring and summer when individuals gather in reef areas to reproduce. The eggs are then dispersed by ocean currents before hatching.
Did you know ?
The saucereye porgy is listed as many other marine species within The
IUCN Red List of threatened species. The saucereye porgy appears in the
IUCN Red List since 2014 within the category Least Concern !
Within the same genus
Jolthead porgy
(Calamus bajonado)
Sheepshead porgy
(Calamus penna)
Within the same family
Blotched picarel
(Spicara maena)
Common two-banded seabream
(Diplodus vulgaris)
Gilt-head sea bream
(Sparus aurata)
Picarel
(Spicara smaris)
Saddled seabream
(Oblada melanurus)
Salema
(Sarpa salpa)
White seabream
(Diplodus sargus)
Yellowfin bream
(Acanthopagrus australis)
Discover also
Hector's goby
(Koumansetta hectori)
Hogchoker
(Trinectes maculatus)
Pearl-scaled angelfish
(Centropyge vrolikii)
Rosy razorfish
(Xyrichtys martinicensis)
Saw-jawed monocle bream
(Scolopsis ciliata)
Thornback cowfish
(Lactoria fornasini)
Yellow-spotted triggerfish
(Pseudobalistes fuscus)
Yellowmask surgeonfish
(Acanthurus mata)
The marine species from northwestern Atlantic ocean
Caribbean spiny lobster
(Panulirus argus)
Lane snapper
(Lutjanus synagris)
Longspine squirrelfish
(Holocentrus rufus)
Pederson cleaner shrimp
(Ancylomenes pedersoni)
Red cushion sea star
(Oreaster reticulatus)
Spotted spiny lobster
(Panulirus guttatus)
Staghorn coral
(Acropora cervicornis)
West Indian sea egg
(Tripneustes ventricosus)
Dive centers
'Les Ilets' dive center
Noa dive center
