Relevant synonyms None Misidentification None Meristic formula D, XI + 11; A, III + 10; P, 13-14; V, I + 5; LL, 52-60; GR, 15-18.  photo : David Darom

SHORT DESCRIPTION Body oblong to oval. Dorsal profile of head in juveniles and subadults convex with pit-like indentation to produce a "nose" (this indentation is absent in specimens larger than 17 cm). Jaws extend back to vertical of anterior nostril. Three rows of teeth in each jaw, upper front with 8-9 brown-tipped incisors, each tooth bearing five denticulations (the three median more distinct) giving the teeth edge a wavy appearance). The inner rows with a few similar shaped teeth, other teeth granular. Scales finely ctenoid. Scaly cheeks. Interorbital scaleless. color : silvery (large specimens) to yellow-silvery with somewhat darker spots on the scales, giving it a striped look. size : common 10-16 cm, max. 30 cm (in Mediterranean 20 cm). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Species of Diplodus, Sparus, Pagrus Rhabdosargus and Lithognathus: lateral teeth molarform. Species of Dentex, Oblada, Boops and Spondyliosoma: lack of incisors teeth. Sarpa salpa: a single row of incisors; 10-11 fine, very distinct, longitudinal yellow lines. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Feeds mainly on algae and, to a much lesser extent, on small invertebrates. Eggs and larvae planktonic. habitat : shallow coastal water, above sandy substrate, often covered with sea grass.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Bardawil Lagoon, Northern Sinai, Egypt, 1970. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : two subspecies are recognized as coexisting in the Red Sea. Crenidens crenidens crenidens occurred also in eastern Africa and the second subspecies, Crenidens crenidens indicus, extends to the Arabian Gulf and Nicobar Islands. Mediterranean : recorded first in Bardawil Lagoon, northern Sinai, Egypt (Lourie and Ben-Tuvia, 1970) ; successively recorded in Israel (Golani, 1992) and Libya (Al-Hassan and El-Silini, 1999). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Rare. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS Caught in small quantities in the Bardawil Lagoon (northern Sinai) by purse seine and trammel net. Elsewhere in the Mediterranean: rare.

KEY REFERENCES Al-Hassan L.A.J. and El-Silini O.A., 1999. Check-list of bony fishes collected from the Mediterranean coast of Benghazi, Libya. Revista de Biologia Marina y Oceanografia, 34: 291-301. Golani D., 1992. Rhabdosargus haffara (Forsskål, 1775) and Sphyraena flavicauda Rüppell, 1833--new Red Sea immigrants in the Mediterranean. Journal of Fish Biology, 40: 139-140. Lourie A. and Ben-Tuvia A., 1970. Two Red Sea fishes, Pelates quadrilineatus (Bloch) and Crenidens crenidens (Forsskål) in the eastern Mediterranean. Israel Journal of Zoology, 19: 203-207. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: March 2001 ©ciesm 2002