Brown meagre
The brown meagre or corb is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This species found in the eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, occurring in shallow waters with sandy bottoms. It is harvested for human consumption, especially in the Mediterranean.
Taxonomy
The brown meagre was first formally described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae; the type locality was given as Zadar, Croatia. In 1972, the ICZN set this species to be the type species of the genus Sciaena. The genus Sciaena is placed in the subfamily Sciaeninae by some authors, but the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognize subfamilies within the Sciaenidae.Etymology
The specific name umbra is derived from Latin, meaning "shadow" or "phantom". The generic name is derived from the Greek word skiaina, which is used to refer to the red mullet.Distribution
The brown meagre is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the southern English Channel to Senegal and Cape Verde, including the Canary Islands. Records from West Africa south of Senegal are questionable. It is also found in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.Habitat
The brown meagre is found at depths between, mainly over rocky and sandy substrates. Juveniles also enter estuarine environments.Description
The brown meagre is usually between in length but may grow to. It has a flat belly and a strongly arched back, giving it an easily recognizable shape. The body is laterally compressed and the large, horizontal mouth reaches the level of the eye and contains villiform teeth. The background color of the body is grey, with flashes of gold and silver. The scales are ctenoid on the nape and the flanks while the head scales are cycloid. The anal and pelvic fins are black with the anterior margins being white. In contrast, the dorsal and the caudal fins are yellow with a black margin. The caudal fin is usually truncate.Biology and behavior
The brown meagre is a rather nocturnal fish, but it can occasionally be found during the day among beds of seagrass and on rocky bottoms in the vicinity of caves or large crevices. This species is social and lives in small groups, and it feeds off small fishes, crustaceans and algae. The spawning period is from March to August in the Mediterranean; during this time, this species forms large spawning aggregations near estauries.Like many other species in the family Sciaenidae, the brown meagre is capable of creating sound using some of the muscles under their well-developed swim bladder. This allows individuals to communicate with each other, since this species has a very good hearing ability. The brown meagre can manage its buoyancy very well.