Teleostei (teleosts) >
Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) >
Sparidae (Porgies)
Etymology: Rhabdosargus: Greek, rhabdos = stick + Latin, sargus = sargus (1591) (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: Anthony R ‘Tony’ Thorpe was a South African lawyer and avid angler. He sent Smith three undescribed fish that he had discovered in KwaZulu Natal waters and supplied specimens and photographs. (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; brackish; demersal. Subtropical
Western Indian Ocean: Somalia to Durban, South Africa (Ref. 12484), including Madagascar and Europa Island (Ref. 3507).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 40.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3198); common length : 30.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3507)
Shoals congregate in rivers and many enter estuaries. Feeds on worms, crustaceans and particularly mollusks. Sold fresh.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Smith, J.L.B. and M.M. Smith, 1986. Sparidae. p. 580-594. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. (Ref. 3198)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
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