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Archosargus probatocephalus  (Walbaum, 1792)

Sheepshead
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2100
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Archosargus probatocephalus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Archosargus probatocephalus (Sheepshead)
Archosargus probatocephalus
Picture by Wirtz, P.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-likes) > Sparidae (Porgies)
Etymology: Archosargus: Greek, archo = anus + Latin , sargus = sea bream (Ref. 45335).

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Marine; brackish; reef-associated; depth range 15 - ? m (Ref. 9988).   Subtropical, preferred 25°C (Ref. 107945); 49°N - 6°S, 100°W - 36°W (Ref. 55299)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia, Canada and northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil. Absent in Bermuda, the Bahamas, the West Indies and Grenada (Ref. 7251, 26938).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 91.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251); common length : 35.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3815); max. published weight: 9.6 kg (Ref. 4699)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Inhabits bays and estuaries. Freely enters brackish waters; sometimes enters freshwaters (Ref. 26938). Commonly found around pilings. Caught by anglers from jetties or rocky shores (Ref. 9988). Feeds mainly on mollusks and crustaceans. An excellent food fish. Marketed fresh and frozen; eaten broiled, microwaved and baked (Ref. 9988).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p. (Ref. 7251)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

CITES (Ref. 94142)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless




Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
FAO(fisheries: production; publication : search) | FisheriesWiki | Sea Around Us

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Internet sources

BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | Faunafri | Fishes of Iran | Fishtrace | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | GOBASE | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | RFE Identification | Scirus | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia(Go, Search) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805):  PD50 = 0.6250   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01413 (0.01245 - 0.01602), b=3.04 (3.01 - 3.07), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278):  3.5   ±0.53 se; Based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 69278):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.4; tmax=20).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate vulnerability (36 of 100) .
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Low.