The sargo or white seabream (''Diplodus sargus'') is a species of

seabream The Sparidae are a family of fish in the order Perciformes, commonly called sea breams and porgies. The sheepshead, scup, and red seabream are species in this family. Most sparids are deep-bodied compressed fish with a small mouth separated by a ...

native to the eastern Atlantic and western Indian Oceans. It is found from the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...

southwards to South Africa, including Madeira and the Canary Islands, the Mediterranean and (rarely) the Black Sea. Occasionally individuals are found off the Indian Ocean coasts of South Africa, Mozambique and Madagascar, and they are very rarely found elsewhere in the Indian Ocean, such as off

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

. An active fish, they inhabit the

surf zone As ocean surface waves approach shore, they get taller and break, forming the foamy, bubbly surface called ''surf''. The region of breaking waves defines the surf zone, or breaker zone. After breaking in the surf zone, the waves (now reduced in ...

, but they may be found down to 50 m. They consume small crustaceans, mollusks and some seaweed and coral, using their strong jaws to crush shells. Individuals can reach 45 cm, but average 22 cm. ''Diplodus sargus'' are protandrous hermaphrodites, with individuals starting out life as males, and some becoming female later on. It is commercially fished, with 3,713 t taken in 2008. Some are reared using aquacultural techniques. The catch is eaten immediately or marketed locally, as the flesh tastes good only when fresh. Two US Navy submarines were named for this nimble fish, and .

Subspecies

The species has one accepted subspecies: *''Diplodus sargus cadenati'' (de la Paz, ''et al.'', 1974), occurs off the European and West African coasts, and off

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

and the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

Other former subspecies have been accepted as separate species: *''Diplodus sargus ascensionis'': as ''

Diplodus ascensionis ''Diplodus'' is a genus of fish in the family (biology), family Sparidae, found in the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Species There are currently 23 recognized species in this genus: * ''Diplodus annularis'' (Carl Linnaeus, Linnaeus, ...

'' (Valenciennes, 1830) *''Diplodus sargus capensis'': as ''

Diplodus capensis The sargo or white seabream (''Diplodus sargus'') is a species of seabream native to the eastern Atlantic and western Indian Oceans. It is found from the Bay of Biscay southwards to South Africa, including Madeira and the Canary Islands, the Med ...

'' (Smith, 1846) *''Diplodus sargus helenae'': as ''

Diplodus helenae The St. Helena white seabream (''Diplodus helenae'') is a species of seabream, a marine fish of the family Sparidae. The species was named by Henri Émile Sauvage in 1879. Description This benthopelagic fish grows to an average length of 20 ...

'' (Sauvage, 1879) *''Diplodus sargus kotschyi'': as ''

Diplodus kotschyi ''Diplodus'' is a genus of fish in the family Sparidae, found in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Species There are currently 23 recognized species in this genus: * ''Diplodus annularis'' (Linnaeus, 1758) (Annular seabream) * ''Diplodus argenteus' ...

'' (Steindachner, 1876) *''Diplodus sargus lineatus'': as ''

Diplodus lineatus ''Diplodus'' is a genus of fish in the family Sparidae, found in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Species There are currently 23 recognized species in this genus: * ''Diplodus annularis'' (Linnaeus, 1758) (Annular seabream) * ''Diplodus argenteus' ...

'' (Valenciennes, 1830)

References

External links

Diplodus sargus at the Encyclopedia of Life
* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1989807 Diplodus Commercial fish Sport fish Fish of the East Atlantic Fish of the Mediterranean Sea Marine fish of Europe Marine fish of Africa Fish described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus