Brown meagre

The brown meagre or corb (Sciaena umbra) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This species found in, the eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea occurring in shallow waters and sandy bottoms. It is harvested for human consumption, especially in the Mediterranean.

Brown meagre
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Acanthuriformes
Family: Sciaenidae
Genus: Sciaena
Species:
S. umbra
Binomial name
Sciaena umbra
Synonyms
List
  • Bairdiella umbra Linnaeus, 1758
  • Coracinus chalcis Pallas, 1814
  • Corvina canariensis Cuvier, 1830
  • Corvina nigra misapplied name
  • Corvina umbra Linnaeus, 1758
  • Johnius nigra misapplied name
  • Johnius umbra Linnaeus, 1758
  • Sciaena nigra Bloch, 1792

Taxonomy

The brown meagre was first formally described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of the Systema Naturae. Linneaus gave the type locality as Zadar in Craoatia.[3] In 1972 the International Commission for Zoological Nomenclature confirmed that this species was the type species of the genus Sciaena.[4] The genus Sciaena is placed in the subfamily Sciaeninae by some authors[5] but the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise subfamilies within the Sciaenidae which it places in the order Acanthuriformes.[6]

Etymology

The specific name umbra is derived from the Latin for a shadow or phantom[7] while the generic name is derived from the Greek skiaina or skion meaning a fish, or more specifically a red mullet.[2]

Distribution

The brown meagre is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the southern English Channel south to Senegal and Cape Verde, including the Canary Islands,[8] records from West Africa south of Senegal are questionable. Also in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea[1] and Sea of Azov.[8]

Habitat
Corbs (Sciaena umbra) from Ligurian sea

The brown meagre is found at depths between 5m and 200m,[9] mainly over rocky and sandy substrates and the young enter estuarine environments.[10]

Description

The brown meagre is between 30 and 40 cm in length but can grow to 60 cm. It has a flat belly and its strongly arched back which give it an easily recognisable shape, the body is laterally compressed and the large, horizontal mouth reaches the level of the eye and contains villiform teeth. The anal and pelvic fins are black with an anterior white border. Both dorsal fins and the truncate caudal fin, are yellow with a black border. The body is grey with flashes of gold and silver. The scales are ctenoid on the nape and the body while the head scales are cycloid.[9][8]

Biology and behaviour
Sciaena umbra juvenile

It is a rather nocturnal fish but it can occasionally be found during the day among beds of sea grass and on rocky bottoms in the vicinity of caves or large crevices where it can shelter. This species is social and lives in small groups.[10] It feeds off the small fishes and crustaceans. They are capable of creating sound using some muscles under their well developed swim bladder. This is their way of communication since they have a very good hearing ability.[11] They can manage their buoyancy perfectly.[2] The spawning period is from March to August in the Mediterranean.[8]

Fisheries

The brown meagre is a commercial species throughout the Mediterranean basin and has been over exploited by fishing practices. It is fished mainly by spear fishing, trammel nets, and gill nets and is heavily exposed to fisheries during spawning aggregations at the mouths of estuaries.[10]

Sold fresh or frozen across fish markets in Turkey. The otoliths of the brown meagre are ground and used for urinary infections by local people in Turkey.[2] The sport and commercial fishing of this species was banned in Turkey until 2003 and 2006 to help conserve the stock.[10]

References
  1. Chao, L. (2020). "Sciaena umbra". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T198707A130230194. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T198707A130230194.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. "Sciaena umbra Linnaeus, 1758". Fishbase.org. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  3. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Sciaena". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  4. International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (1972). "Opinion 988 Sciaena Linnaeus, 1758 (Pisces): Designation of a Type-Species under the Plenary Powers". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 29: 123–124.
  5. Kunio Sasaki (1989). "Phylogeny of the family Sciaenidae, with notes on its Zoogeography (Teleostei, Peciformes)" (PDF). Memoirs of the Faculty of Fishes Hokkaido University. 36 (1–2): 1–137.
  6. J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. pp. 497–502. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6.
  7. "Umbrina cirrosa (Linnaeus, 1758)". Fishbase.org. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  8. "Fishes of the NE Atlantic and Mediterranean - Brown Meagre (Sciaena umbra)". Marine Species Identification Portal. ETI BioInformatics. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  9. "Sciaena umbra". Association Mer et Littoral. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  10. "Scaiena umbra". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  11. M. Picciulin; M. Bolgan; A.B. Corò; G. Calcagno; S. Malavasi (2016). "Sound production by the Shi drum Umbrina cirrosa and comparison with the brown meagre Sciaena umbra: a passive acoustic monitoring perspective". Journal of Fish Biology. 88 (4): 1655–1660. doi:10.1111/jfb.12926. hdl:10278/3674577.
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