Englishman seabream facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Englishman seabream |
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The Englishman seabream, also known as Chrysoblephus anglicus, is a type of ray-finned fish. It belongs to the Sparidae family, which includes many kinds of seabreams and porgies. This special fish is found only in Southern Africa. This means it is endemic to that region.
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About Its Name
The scientific name for this fish is Chrysoblephus anglicus. The second part, anglicus, means "English". This name probably comes from its common name in South Africa, the Englishman seabream.
Scientists first officially described this fish in 1908. Two ichthyologists, John Dow Fisher Gilchrist and William Wardlaw Thompson, gave it its first scientific name, Chrysophrys anglicus. They found the first example of this fish near Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
What It Looks Like
The Englishman seabream has a deep body that looks a bit squashed from the sides. Its snout is blunt, and the front of its head, from its upper lip to its forehead, is almost straight up and down. Then it gently slopes back to where its top fin begins.
- Fins: It has a dorsal fin (top fin) with 12 stiff spines and 10 soft rays. Some of these spines are longer, but not longer than its head. Its anal fin (bottom fin near the tail) has 3 spines and 8 soft rays.
- Color: This fish is mostly reddish. Its belly is a lighter color. It might have about four darker reddish stripes going up and down its body, but these can be hard to see.
- Spots: Its scales have pretty blue spots. These spots often line up in rows, making cool patterns.
- Size: The biggest Englishman seabream ever found was about 100 centimeters (about 3.3 feet) long. But most of them are around 40 centimeters (about 1.3 feet) long.
Where It Lives
The Englishman seabream lives only in the southwestern part of the Indian Ocean. You can find it from the mouth of the Limpopo River in southern Mozambique all the way to Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
This fish likes to live on coral reefs and rocky reefs. It usually swims at depths between 15 and 20 meters (about 50 to 65 feet) underwater.
Life and Habits
The Englishman seabream is a predator. It eats different kinds of sea creatures. Its diet includes crabs, prawns, and clams (which are a type of bivalve). It also eats squid and sometimes even other fish.
You might see this fish swimming alone. Or it might be in small groups, called schools. Sometimes, it even swims with other types of seabream, like Chrysoblephus puniceus.
Reproduction
Not a lot is known about how the Englishman seabream reproduces. However, we do know that they lay their eggs in the spring. Some adult fish are also "protogynous." This means they start their lives as females and can later change into males.
Fishing and Protecting Them
The Englishman seabream is an important fish for people who fish for a living in KwaZulu-Natal. It's the fifth most important reef fish caught by commercial fishing boats there.
However, studies have shown that the number of these fish has dropped a lot. Between 1987 and 2007, about 70% fewer Englishman seabream were caught. This is because of overfishing, which means too many fish are being caught. As other popular fish become harder to find, fishermen might catch more Englishman seabream.
Because this fish lives in a small area and some of them change sex, overfishing can cause big problems. If too many large fish are caught, it can lead to fewer males in the population. This makes it harder for the fish to reproduce successfully.
To help protect this species, several rules have been put in place for fishing. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Englishman seabream as "Near Threatened." This means it could become endangered if we don't protect it.
