Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; depth range 10 - 75 m (Ref. 27000), usually 20 - 50 m (Ref. 81287). Tropical; 30°N - 17°S, 27°W - 13°E
Eastern Atlantic: West African coast, from Senegal to Angola (Ref. 7350, 81287). Also reported from the Canary Islands, Cape Verde (Ref. 7350) and Mauritania (Ref. 5377).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 45.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1380); common length : 30.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3609); max. published weight: 750.00 g (Ref. 4883)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 8 - 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 17 - 18; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 20 - 21. Diagnosis: body deep and strongly compressed, its anterior profile very steep up to dorsal-fin origin, and strongly compressed; head small; snout short; mouth small, terminal, strongly protrusible, with fleshy lips; teeth slender and pointed, set in bands in upper jaw; roof of mouth toothless; dorsal fin deeply notched; 1st dorsal fin spine small, forward-pointing and visible only in young individuals; pectorals falcate, very long, their tips almost reaching to caudal-fin base; hind margin of caudal fin slightly rounded; pelvic fins thoracic; scales finely ctenoid, covering body, bases of dorsal and anal fins and head, except snout and preopercle; preopercular margin denticulate; lateral line strongly arched (Ref. 81287).
Coloration: silvery grey, darker on back, almost white on belly; sides with a series of 8 brown, more or less faded vertical bars, always more distinct in young individuals (Ref. 81287).
Body shape (shape guide): short and / or deep; Cross section: compressed.
Neritic species (Ref. 7350). Essentially marine, often living in groups (Ref. 81287) over sandy and muddy bottoms (Ref. 2683), between 20 and 50 m depth, and entering coastal lagoons where sexual maturation begins (Ref. 81287). Feeds of fish eggs, benthic invertebrates and detritus (Ref. 28587).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Desoutter, M., 1990. Ephippidae. p. 834-836. 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. 7350)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
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