Common pandora | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Perciformes |
Family: | Sparidae |
Genus: | Pagellus |
Species: | P. erythrinus |
Binomial name | |
Pagellus erythrinus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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Distribution of Pagellus erythrinus |
the common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) is a fish of the Sparidae family (sea bream). It is a popular food fish in Mediterranean countries, with delicate white flesh.
It has a slim, oval body, with a smallish mouth and scales covering its face. The eyes are smaller than those of Pagellus bogaraveo and Pagellus acarne. It is silver in colour with a pink tinge, particularly on its back. A typical specimen measures 10–30 cm, but it can reach as much as 50 cm in length.
The common pandora is a hermaphrodite, spending the first two years of its life as a female, and the third year as a male. It is omnivorous, but mainly feeds on smaller fish and benthic invertebrates.
The Atlantic Ocean, from Scandinavia to Cape Verde. Also the Mediterranean and the North Sea.