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Cardinal seabream (Evynnis cardinalis) — Sparidae

Cardinal seabream

Evynnis cardinalis
Family: Sparidae
EN · Endangered

The Cardinal seabream (Evynnis cardinalis) is a saltwater fish of the family Sparidae that grows up to 40 cm.

Length
40 cm
Water
Saltwater
Depth
0.0–100.0 m
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Schooling
Activity
Diurnal
Body shape
Flat / disc-shaped
Substrate
Stone or rock
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Commonly eaten

Description

The cardinal seabream is a seabream from the northwest Pacific, off China, Vietnam and Japan. The species grows to about 40 cm and has a deep, pink to reddish body with blue spots and a few elongated front dorsal-fin rays. As a near-bottom fish it lives over soft and rocky bottoms of the continental shelf to about 100 metres and hunts crustaceans, molluscs and small fish. Owing to heavy fishing the species has declined sharply. The IUCN assesses it as Endangered (EN).

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Cardinal seabream?

The Cardinal seabream has a flattened, disc-shaped body, is mainly pink-purple and shows a spots pattern.

Where does the Cardinal seabream live?

The Cardinal seabream lives in the sea (marine waters) and is mostly found around stony or rocky ground.

How big does the Cardinal seabream get?

The Cardinal seabream grows to a maximum of about 40 cm. On average the species is around 20 cm.

Is the Cardinal seabream dangerous to humans?

No, the Cardinal seabream is harmless to humans.

Is the Cardinal seabream edible?

Yes, the Cardinal seabream is commonly eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Kardinaal-zeebrasem verified
English name
Cardinal seabream verified
Scientific name
Evynnis cardinalis
Family
Sparidae
Other names
Cardinal seabream; Threadfin porgy verified

Appearance

Size class
Medium verified
Max length (cm)
40.0 verified
Average length (cm)
20.0 verified
Body shape
Flat / disc-shaped sourced
Dominant colour
Pink / purple sourced
Pattern
Spots sourced
Tail shape
Forked inferred
Mouth position
Terminal sourced
Lips
Thick / fleshy sourced
Barbels
No sourced
Dorsal fins
One continuous sourced
Dorsal spines
No sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Saltwater sourced
Substrate
Stone or rock sourced
Min depth (m)
0.0 verified
Max depth (m)
100.0 verified
Origin
Native verified

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Carnivore sourced
Social behaviour
Schooling sourced
Territorial
No sourced
Activity
Diurnal sourced
Reproduction
Separate sexes sourced
Sexual dimorphism
No sourced

For anglers

Edibility
Commonly eaten sourced
Fishing method
Netten en handlijnen sourced
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless sourced

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

More from the family Sparidae

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