''Sarpa salpa'', known commonly as the dreamfish, salema, salema porgy, cow bream or goldline, is a species of
sea bream
The Sparidae are a family of fish in the order Perciformes, commonly called sea breams and porgies. The sheepshead, scup, and red seabream are species in this family. Most sparids are deep-bodied compressed fish with a small mouth separated by a ...
, recognisable by the golden stripes that run down the length of its body, and which can cause
ichthyoallyeinotoxism
Ichthyoallyeinotoxism, or hallucinogenic fish inebriation, comes from eating certain species of fish found in several parts of the tropics, the effects of which are reputed to be similar in some aspects to LSD. Experiences may include vivid audit ...
when eaten.
[Fish that triggers hallucinations found off British coast.]
''The Daily Telegraph'' May 13, 2009. Accessed May 27, 2013.
It is found in the East
Atlantic, where it ranges from the
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
to
South Africa, as well as in the
Mediterranean.
It has occasionally been found as far north as
Great Britain.
[ It is generally common and found from near the surface to a depth of .] Males are typically in length, while females are usually . The maximum size is .[
]
''Sarpa salpa'' became widely known for its ichthyoallyeinotoxic effects following widely publicized articles in 2006, when two men ingested it at a Mediterranean restaurant and began to experience many auditory and visual hallucinogenic effects. These hallucinations, described as frightening, were reported to have occurred two hours after the fish was ingested and had a total duration of 36 hours.
The fish, and especially its viscera, have been assessed as potentially unsafe by a study conducted on Mediterranean specimens. It is believed that the fish ingests a particular algae
Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...
or phytoplankton
Phytoplankton () are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek words (), meaning 'plant', and (), meaning 'wanderer' or 'drifter'.
Ph ...
which renders it ichthyoallyeinotoxic.
References
External links
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q1130118
Sparidae
Fish described in 1758
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus