Salema porgy | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Spariformes |
Family: | Sparidae |
Genus: | Sarpa Bonaparte, 1831 |
Species: | S. salpa |
Binomial name | |
Sarpa salpa | |
Synonyms [2] [3] [4] | |
Genus synonymy Species synonymy
|
The salema porgy (Sarpa salpa), also known as the dreamfish, salema, cow bream, karanteen, salpa, saupe, strepie or goldline, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Sarpa. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and southwestern Indian Ocean. This species has been known to cause ichthyoallyeinotoxism when eaten.
The salema porgy was first formally described as Sparus salpa in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, no type locality was given but it is presumed to be the Mediterranean. [5] In 1831 Charles Lucien Bonaparte classified Sparus sarpa in a monotypic section of the genus Box. [6] The genus Rhabdosargus is placed in the family Sparidae within the order Spariformes by the 5th edition of Fishes of the World . [7] Some authorities classify this genus in the subfamily Sparinae, [3] but the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise subfamilies within the Sparidae. [7]
The salema porgy has the genus name Sarpa which is the local name for this fish in Genoa. The specific name salpa is a modern Greek rendering of the Ancient Greek salpe or salpes, which dates back at least to Aristotle. [8]
The salema porgy has a moderately slender, neatly oval body which has a depth which fits into its standard length 2.8 times. The dorsal fin is supported by 11 spines and 14 or 15 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and between 13 and 15 soft rays. There are scales on the cheeks under the eyes. There is a scaly sheath at the base of the anal fin but the area between the eyes, the base of the anal fin and the flange of the preoperculum are scaleless. There is a single row of notched incisor-like teeth on the upper jaw and pointed incisor-like teeth on the lower jaw, and there are no molar-like teeth. The body is silvery with between 8 and 10 horizontal golden lines along the sides with a black spot at the base of the pectoral fin. [9]
Males are typically 15 to 30 cm (6–12 in) in length, while females are usually 31 to 45 cm (12–18 in). [10] The maximum size is 51 cm (20 in). [11]
The salema porgy is found in the East Atlantic, where it ranges from the Bay of Biscay to South Africa, as well as in the Mediterranean. [11] It has occasionally been found as far north as Great Britain. [12] It is generally common and found from near the surface to a depth of 70 m (230 ft). [1]
Salema porgies are largely vegetarian; a study in Libya found that sea grass dominated the diet, with algae being the second most important item and crustaceans the third. [13] Off Corsica, the seagrass Posidonia oceanica and its epiphytes were found to be the main food of adults while the juveniles were plankton eaters. [14]
Off South Africa spawning takes place between April and September and there is an annual migration between nursery areas in the Eastern and Western Cape to KwaZulu-Natal. This species is a protandrous hermaphrodite. [15] In the northern hemisphere, the spawning season in the Canary Islands was found to extend from September to March. [16] Off Italy the change from male to female took place between total lengths of 24 and 31 cm (9.4 and 12.2 in) and this corresponded to a ages between 3 and 7 years. The size when sexual maturity was reached by half of the fish was 19.5 cm (7.7 in), and most of these fishes were males. There were two separate spawning seasons in this population one in the spring, running between March and May, and a second in autumn, from the end of September to November. [17]
The vegetarian diet of the saupe makes it almost impossible to fish with a rod, its modest size and its living areas also making it not very vulnerable to fishing with a net or harpoon. This is why this fish is rare on plates and practically not sold. The soup is practically no longer consumed except in France, Israel and Tunisia.[ citation needed ]
Sarpa salpa became widely known for its ichthyoallyeinotoxic effects following widely publicized articles in 2006, when two men ingested it at a Mediterranean restaurant and began to experience many auditory and visual hallucinogenic effects. [18] These hallucinations, described as frightening, were reported to have occurred two hours after the fish was ingested and had a total duration of 36 hours. [19] These hallucinogenic properties are used in the Pacific Ocean by the Melanesians and Polynesians during religious rites. Such uses were also described in the Mediterranean during the Roman Empire.[ citation needed ]
The fish, and especially its viscera, have been assessed as potentially unsafe by a study conducted on Mediterranean specimens. [20] Saupes are not toxic all year round but only during certain periods, which raises suspicion of the role of algae toxins or phytoplankton ingested by fish, and swarming at certain periods, which renders it ichthyoallyeinotoxic. [21]
Since the accidental introduction of Caulerpa taxifolia into the Mediterranean, the saupe has tended to accumulate in its body the toxins produced by this alga. It is therefore recommended to empty it as soon as it is fished. [22]
The salema porgy is a plant-herbivore and due to overpopulation in Portugal had overgrazed seagrass in the area as of 2014. Three substitutes were tested as a substitute for the Portuguese floor. Cymodocea nodosa, Zostera marina, and Zostera noltii were given to an adult S. salpa for testing. It preferred the Zostera noltii, therefore the Cymodocea nodosa and Zostera marina are preferred for seagrass restorations in areas with large populations of S. salpa. [22]
Sparidae is a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Spariformes, the seabreams and porgies, although they were traditionally classified in the order Perciformes. They are found in shallow temperate and tropical waters around the world and are demersal carnivores.
Ichthyoallyeinotoxism, or hallucinogenic fish inebriation, comes from eating certain species of fish found in several parts of the tropics, the effects of which are reputed to be similar in some aspects to LSD. Experiences may include vivid auditory and visual hallucinations. This has given rise to the collective common name "dream fish" for ichthyoallyeinotoxic fish.
Pagellus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. These fishes are found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the western Indian Ocean.
The gilt-head bream, also known as the gilthead, gilt-head seabream or silver seabream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, the seabreams or porgies. This fish is found in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. It is a highly esteemed food fish and an important species in aquaculture.
The red porgy, also known as the common seabream or Couch's bream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Sparidae. It is found in shallow waters on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, being present on the western coast of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea as well as the eastern coasts of North and South America and the Caribbean Sea. It feeds on or near the seabed and most individuals start life as females and later change sex to males.
Pagrus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. These fishes are found in the Western Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. They are esteemed food fishes which are targeted by commercial fisheries and are grown in aquaculture.
The black seabream is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. This fish has a wide distribution in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The black seabream is an important food fish, especially in Europe.
Lagodon is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. The only species in the genus is Lagodon rhomboides, the pinfish, red porgy, bream, pin perch, sand perch, butterfish or sailor's choice. This fish is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
Several species of fish are claimed to produce hallucinogenic effects when consumed, a condition known as ichthyoallyeinotoxism. For example, Sarpa salpa, a species of sea bream referred to as the "dream-fish", is commonly claimed to be hallucinogenic. These widely distributed coastal fish are normally found in the Mediterranean and around the Iberian Peninsula, west to the Azores and along the west and south coasts of Africa. Occasionally they are found in British or more northerly waters. They may induce hallucinogenic effects similar to LSD if eaten. However, based on the reports of exposure they are more likely to resemble hallucinogenic effects of deliriants than the effects of serotonergic psychedelics such as LSD. In 2006, two men who apparently ate the fish experienced hallucinations lasting for several days. The likelihood of hallucinations depends on the season. Sarpa salpa is known as "the fish that makes dreams" in Arabic.
The saddled seabream, also called the saddle bream or oblade, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Oblada. This species is found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is an important food fish within its range.
Boops is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sparidae, the seabreams and porgies. There are two species in this genus, one in the Western Atlantic and Mediterranean, and the other in the Western Indian Ocean.
Diplodus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. These fishes are found in the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the western Indian Ocean.
Rhabdosargus sarba, also known as the goldlined seabream, silver bream, tarwhine, or yellowfin bream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. This fish has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.
Sparidentex is a genus of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. These fishes are found in the Indian Ocean.
Acanthopagrus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sparidae, the sea breams and porgies. The fish in this genus are found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
Rhabdosargus is a genus of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. These fishes are found in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean and throughout the Indo-West Pacific, although mainly in the western Indian Ocean.
Acanthopagrus berda, the goldsilk seabream, sly bream, picnic seabream, black sea bream, black porgy, picky bream, silver bream or river bream, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, the sea breams and porgies. This species is found in the Indian Ocean.
Diplodus annularis, the annular seabream is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, the family which includes the seabreams and porgies. This species is found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean.
Spondyliosoma is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. The genus contains two species, one, the black seabream, from the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the other, the steentjie seabream, from the western Indian Ocean.
Argyrops is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sparidae, the seabreams and porgies. These fishes are found in the coasts of Indian Ocean and near Australia.
Liver and especially the visceral part of S. salpa presented toxicity, which clearly indicates the danger of using this fish as food.