''Pagellus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

belonging the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Sparidae Sparidae is a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Spariformes, the seabreams and porgies, although they were traditionally classified in the order Perciformes. The over 150 species are found in shallow and deep marine waters in t ...

, which includes the seabreams and porgies. These fishes are found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the western Indian Ocean.

Taxonomy

''Pagellus'' was first proposed as a genus in 1830 by the French

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

Achille Valenciennes Achille Valenciennes (9 August 1794 – 13 April 1865) was a French zoology, zoologist. Valenciennes was born in Paris, and studied under Georges Cuvier. His study of parasitic worms in humans made an important contribution to the study of parasi ...

. The

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

was subsequently designated as ''Sparus erythrinus'' by

Eugène Anselme Sébastien Léon Desmarest Eugène Anselme Sébastien Léon Desmarest (1816–1889) was a French zoologist and entomologist. He was the son of Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest (6 March 1784 – 4 June 1838) was a French Zoology, zoologist and author. He ...

in 1856. Linnaeus described ''S. erythrinus'' in the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'' with its type locality given as the Mediterranean and America. This genus is placed in the family Sparidae within the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

Spariformes Spariformes is an order of ray-finned fishes consisting of six families within the series Percomorpha. Taxonomy Spariformes was first used as a taxonomic term in 1860 by the Dutch physician, herpetologist and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker. Trad ...

by the 5th edition of ''

Fishes of the World ''Fishes of the World'' is a standard reference for the systematics of fishes. It was first written in 1976 by the American ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011). Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of t ...

''. Some authorities classify this genus in the subfamily Pagellinae, but the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise subfamilies within the Sparidae.

Etymology

''Pagellus'' is derived from ''pagel'', one of the common names of the

common pandora The common pandora (''Pagellus erythrinus''), also known as king of the breams, pandora red pandora or Spanish seabream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. This fish ...

among sailors in Mediterranean coasts of the

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

and

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately . History ...

regions of France (also known as ''pageau'').

Species

''Pagellus'' contains the following species: * ''

Pagellus acarne ''Pagellus acarne'', the axillary seabream or Spanish seabream is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. This fish is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean S ...

'' ( Risso, 1827) (Axillary seabream) * ''

Pagellus affinis ''Pagellus affinis'', the Arabian pandora, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. This species is found in the northern Western Indian Ocean. Taxonomy ''Pagellus affinis' ...

'' Boulenger, 1888 (Arabian seabream) * ''

Pagellus bellottii ''Pagellus bellottii'', the red pandora, is a species of marine Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish belonging to the Family (biology), family Sparidae, the sea breams and porgies. This species is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterran ...

'' Steindachner, 1882 (Red Pandora) * ''

Pagellus bogaraveo The blackspot seabream (''Pagellus bogaraveo''), also known as the red seabream and as the besugo, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. This is a widespread species in ...

'' ( Brünnich, 1768) (Blackspot seabream) * ''

Pagellus erythrinus The common pandora (''Pagellus erythrinus''), also known as king of the breams, pandora red pandora or Spanish seabream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. This fish ...

'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

1758) (Common pandora) * ''

Pagellus natalensis ''Pagellus natalensis'', the Natal pandora, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. This species is found in the southwestern Indian Ocean. Taxonomy ''Pagellus natalensis' ...

'' Steindachner, 1903 (Natal pandora)

Characteristics

''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 Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

and

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

s are covered with a low sheath covered in scales. The largest of the six species in ''Pagellus'' is the blackspot seabream (''P. bogaraveo'') with a maximum published

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of fish anatomy, their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is ...

of while the smallest is the Natal pandora (''P. natalensis'') with a maximum published

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured f ...

of .

Distribution and habitat

''Pagellus'' seabreams are found in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea between the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

and Angola. with 2 species in the western Indian Ocean. These seabreams are

demersal fish Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes (the demersal zone).Walrond Carl . "Coastal fish - Fish of the open sea floor"Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 2 March 2009 They oc ...

found over various substrates at depths from the shallows down to .

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.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1654733 Sparidae Extant Eocene first appearances Marine fish genera Taxa named by Achille Valenciennes Spariform fish genera