Common names from other countries
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) >
Sciaenidae (Drums or croakers)
Etymology: Argyrosomus: Greek, argyros = silvered, silver + Greek, soma = body (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 15 - 300 m (Ref. 2683). Subtropical; 65°N - 6°S, 23°W - 36°E
Eastern Atlantic: Norway to Gibraltar and Congo, including the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Migrated to the Red Sea via the Suez Canal.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?, range 80 - ? cm
Max length : 230 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5377); common length : 150 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3593); max. published weight: 103.0 kg (Ref. 11036)
Adults are found inshore and shelf waters, close to bottom as well as in surface and mid-waters, pursuing shoals of clupeids and mugilids. They congregate inshore to spawn during spring and summer. Juveniles and sub-adults enter estuaries and coastal lagoons (Ref. 3593). Both adults and juveniles are migratory moving along shore or offshore-onshore in response to temperature change (Ref. 11025). Feed on fishes and swimming crustaceans.
Chao, L.N. and E. Trewavas, 1990. Sciaenidae. p. 813-826. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 3593)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
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