Pagellus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging the familySparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. These fishes are found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the western Indian Ocean.
Pagellus is derived from pagel, one of the common names of the common pandora among sailors in Mediterranean coasts of the Provence and Languedoc regions of France (also known as pageau).[6]
Pageluus seabreams are characterised by having an oblong-shaped body that is normally silvery pink in colour. The scales on the head extend to beyond the front of the eyes. The bases of the dorsal and anal fins are covered with a low sheath covered in scales.[8] The largest of the six species in Pagellus is the blackspot seabream (P. bogaraveo) with a maximum published standard length of 70 cm (28 in) ahile teh smallest is the Natal pandora (P. natalensis) with s maximum published total length of 30 cm (12 in).[7]
Distribution and habitat
Pagellus seabreams are found in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea between the North Sea[9] and Angola.[10] with 2 species in the western Indian Ocean.[8] These seabreams are demersal fish found over various substrates at depths from the shallows down to 700 m (2,300 ft).[11]
Fisheries
Pagellus seabreams are components of fisheries wherever they occur, although P. natalensis is too small to be targeted. However, the four eastern Atlantic species and P.affinis are targeted by commercial fisheries and are important food fish.[12][8]
^Víctor Sanz-Fernández; Juan Carlos Gutiérrez-Estrada; Inmaculada Pulido-Calvo (2022). "Pagellus genus catches time series in the FAO Major Fishing Areas 27 and 34: Analysis of fishery behaviour". Marine Policy. 136: 104912. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104912. hdl:10272/22858.
