Chaetodipterus faber

(Broussonet, 1782)

Vernacular names
English : Atlantic spadefish
French : Disque portugais

Classification
Class : Teleostei
Order : Acanthuriformes (sometimes still Perciformes)
Family : Ephippidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach a maximum length of 91 cm for a weight of 9 kg. Laterally compressed body, disk-shaped and deep. Long dorsal and anal fins. All fins are nearly black. Gray body with broad vertical bars on flanks.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in the Western Atlantic ocean from the coasts of Massachusetts to Gulf of Mexico, south to Brazil. Lives in mangroves, harbors, wrecks, over sandy bottoms, down to 45 meters.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species is common in most parts of its range. It’s targeted by commercial fisheries and declines have been noted off Martinique and Colombia.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

Back to “Surgeonfishes and relatives” page