Sparidae

Sparidae [′spar·ə‚dē]

(vertebrate zoology)

A family of perciform fishes in the suborder Percoidei, including the porgies.

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Sparidae 

(porgies), a family of fishes of the order Perciformes. The tall, laterally compressed body is rounded or elongate; it ranges in length from 10 cm to 1.5 m. The back is arched. The coloration is bright and varied. The mouth is in the form of a straight slit; the teeth are numerous and of various shapes, depending on the mode of feeding (predacious, planktivorous, herbivorous). There is a single dorsal fin; its anterior rays are powerful spines that are retractible into a groove on the back.

There are more than 30 genera of porgies, distributed in the temperate and tropical waters of the world ocean. The fishes live close to shore in shallow bays and inlets; they sometimes enter the mouth of rivers. Porgies are only rarely encountered far offshore. Nine species, from eight genera, are found in the waters of the USSR (Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Sea of Japan). The species include representatives of the genera Dentex, Pagrus, and Diplodus. All porgies are hermaphroditic. Most species are commercially valuable.

REFERENCES

Svetovidov, A. N. Ryby Chernogo moria. Moscow-Leningrad, 1964.
Nikol’skii, G. V. Chastnaia ikhtiologiia, 3rd ed. Moscow, 1971.