Teleostei (teleosts) >
Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) >
Sciaenidae (Drums or croakers)
Etymology: Argyrosomus: Greek, argyros = silvered, silver + Greek, soma = body (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 15 - 300 m (Ref. 2683). Subtropical; 65°N - 6°S, 23°W - 36°E
Eastern Atlantic: Norway to Gibraltar and Congo, including the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Migrated to the Red Sea via the Suez Canal.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?, range 80 - ? cm
Max length : 230 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5377); common length : 150 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3593); max. published weight: 103.0 kg (Ref. 11036)
Dorsal spines (total): 10 - 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 27 - 29. Rough scales, Second dorsal fin (soft ray) twice as long as first, spiny rayed dorsal fin (Ref. 35388).
Adults are found inshore and shelf waters, close to bottom as well as in surface and mid-waters, pursuing shoals of clupeids and mugilids. They congregate inshore to spawn during spring and summer. Juveniles and sub-adults enter estuaries and coastal lagoons (Ref. 3593). Both adults and juveniles are migratory moving along shore or offshore-onshore in response to temperature change (Ref. 11025). Feed on fishes and swimming crustaceans.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Chao, L.N. and E. Trewavas, 1990. Sciaenidae. p. 813-826. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 3593)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Tools
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