Author: (Linnaeus, 1758)
Spicara maena (Linnaeus, 1758)
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Spicara maena (Linnaeus, 1758) (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: head elevated posteriorly in large specimens. dorsal finrays XI + 12; anal finrays III + 9-10. Lateral line scales 68-70. Colour: bluish-grey above, sides silvery, usually with some dark spots, one of which is larger than in other species. Size: to 21 cm (females) or 25 cm (males) SL.
Habitat: Posidonia beds, rocks, and mud down to about 100 m. Food: no data. Reproduction: from August to October, according to the area
Distribution: Mediterranean, Black Sea, Portugal to Morocco and the Canaries.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. The species of this genus are very variable according to the age, sex and season. Many synonyms exist and confusions occurred frequently. Therefore the common nomenclature is rich and somewhat confused. It is very difficultto refer some biological data to the proper species. This is the case for the eggs, larvae and young stages dealt with by Lo Bianco (1909), Fage (1918) and Montalenti (1937): at present , we can only state that they belong to Spicara . Comprehensive information on reproduction was given by Zei (1949a, b; 1951), with reference to the various species.
Otoliths (sagitta). Frost, 1927: 300, pl. 5 (fig. 12) | Chaine, 1937: 202, 208, 213, pl. 18-19 | Bauzá-Rullán, 1961:156, pl. 2 (fig. 11-14).