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Dentex dentex (Linnaeus, 1758)

Common dentex
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Dentex dentex   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Dentex dentex
Picture by Patzner, R.


Malta country information

Common names: Denci, Denci komuni, Dentex
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Also Ref. 4781.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/mt.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Lanfranco, G.G., 1996
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Classification / Names Nomi Comuni | Sinonimi | Catalog of Fishes(Genere, Specie) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

> Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) > Sparidae (Porgies)
Etymology: Dentex: Latin, dens, dentis = teeth (Ref. 45335).
  More on author: Linnaeus.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecologia

marino benthopelagico; distribuzione batimetrica 0 - 200 m (Ref. 3688), usually 15 - 50 m (Ref. 54220).   Subtropical; 56°N - 12°N, 23°W - 42°E (Ref. 54220)

Distribuzione Stati | Aree FAO | Ecosystems | Presenze | Point map | Introduzioni | Faunafri

Eastern Atlantic: British Isles to Cape Blanc, Mauritania; (exceptionally further south) Senegal and around the Canary Islands and Madeira. Common south of 40°N (Spain, North Africa) in the Mediterranean (Ref. 4781).

Length at first maturity / Size / Peso / Age

Maturity: Lm 34.6  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 100.0 cm TL maschio/sesso non determinato; (Ref. 3397); common length : 50.0 cm TL maschio/sesso non determinato; (Ref. 3688); peso massimo pubblicato: 14.3 kg (Ref. 40637)

Short description Chiavi di identificazione | Morfologia | Morfometria

Spine dorsali (totale) : 11; Raggi dorsali molli (totale) : 11 - 12; Spine anali: 3; Raggi anali molli: 7 - 9. Body oval and compressed. Canine teeth, with 4 to 6 anterior teeth very developed in each jaw.

Biologia     Glossario (es. epibenthic)

Inhabit hard bottoms (rock or rubble) down to 200 m depth. Usually found in shallow water less than 50 m deep (Ref. 9987). Adults solitary; young gregarious (Ref. 12482). Young fish caught with traps. Feed on fish, mollusks and cephalopods. Important food fish. Marketed fresh or frozen (Ref. 9987). Some attempts to culture this species have been successful. Due to low market supply, the potential for selling these fish from aquaculture operations seems to be good (Ref. 9987). A spear-fisherman cites a specimen caught in Greece (Corfu) with an overnight bottom-line about 1.60 m and 42 kg (Ref. 48271), but the identification cannot be verified.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Riproduzione | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larve

Gonochoric, but some specimens are hermaphroditic. Species of separated sexes (although some individuals may be hermaphrodite in young stages). In the Mediterranean, reproduction takes place between March and May, in areas near the coast. Embryo development lasts about 3 days at 17°C.

Main reference Upload your references | Bibliografia | Coordinatore | Collaboratori

Bauchot, M.-L. and J.-C. Hureau, 1990. Sparidae. p. 790-812. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 3688)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)


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