Banded seabream

The banded seabream (Diplodus fasciatus) is a species of marine fish of the Sparidae (Sparids) family. This pelagic-neritic fish grows to 35 cm maximal length, its average is 25 cm, some are as long as 40 cm maximum. It occurs in the eastern Atlantic, off the coast of Cape Verde. The species were named by Achille Valenciennes in 1830 together with Ascension Island seabream (Diplodocus ascensionis), Diplodocus lineatus and the Red Sea seabream (Diplodus noct).

The genus name is the Latin for the face.

Its relative is the Two-banded seabream (Diplodus prayensis).

Description

It feeds on invertebrates and algae.

Distribution

The fish are founded in waters down to 100 metres deep.

References

• Diplodocus fasciatus at FishBase

Further reading

• Eschmeyer, William N., ed. 1998. Catalog of Fishes. Special Publication of the Center for Biodiversity Research and Information, no. 1, vol. 1-3. California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco, California, USA. 2905. ISBN 0-940228-47-5.
• Fenner, Robert M. The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. Neptune City, New Jersey, USA: T.F.H. Publications, 2001.
• Helfman, G., B. Collette and D. Facey: The diversity of fishes. Blackwell Science, Malden, Massachusetts, USA, 1997.
• Hoese, D.F. 1986. A M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany
• Maugé, L.A. 1986. A J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren, Flanders; and ORSTOM, Paris, France, Vol. 2.
• Moyle, P. and J. Cech.: Fishes: An Introduction to Ichthyology, 4th ed., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA: Prentice-Hall. 2000.
• Nelson, J.: Fishes of the World, 3rd ed.. New York, USA: John Wiley and Sons., 1994
• Wheeler, A.: The World Encyclopedia of Fishes, 2nd ed., London: Macdonald., 1985