Saucereye porgy
Encyclopedia
The saucereye porgy, Calamus calamus, is an ocean
-going species
of fish in the family
Sparidae
. In Bermuda
, they are also known as the goat's head porgy. In Jamaica
, they are known as the Porgi grunt and the sugareye porgy. They may also be known simply by the name Porgy
in several other Caribbean islands. Saucereye porgies are considered to be minor gamefishes and when caught are marketed both fresh and frozen.
zoologist, Achille Valenciennes
in a 22-volume
work entitled Histoire naturelle des poissons (Natural History of Fishes), which was a collaboration with fellow zoologist, Georges Cuvier
. It was first described as Pagellus calamus, being placed in the genus
Pagellus
. It was since moved into Calamus, a genus named for the mythological
Calamus
, or Kalamos. It was so named because the Calamus of myth allowed himself to drown in a river, after the death of his lover, and transform into aquatic plants that young saucereye porgies make their homes in.
Saucereyes are found only in the western Atlantic ocean
—from North Carolina
, east to Bermuda
, and south to Brazil
. They are most common around the cities of Key West
and Havana
. Adults are commonly found around coral reef
s, where they are easily approached by diver
s, while juveniles are common to beds of sea grass (mainly Thalassia
). Saucereyes feed on a variety of animals, such as mollusks, sea worm
s, brittle star
s, hermit crab
s, crabs and sea urchins.
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
-going species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of fish in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Sparidae
Sparidae
The Sparidae is a family of fish, included in the order Perciformes. The fish of the family are commonly called sea breams and porgies . The sheepshead, scup, and red sea bream are species in this family. They are found in shallow temperate and tropical waters and are bottom-dwelling carnivores....
. In Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, they are also known as the goat's head porgy. In Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, they are known as the Porgi grunt and the sugareye porgy. They may also be known simply by the name Porgy
Sparidae
The Sparidae is a family of fish, included in the order Perciformes. The fish of the family are commonly called sea breams and porgies . The sheepshead, scup, and red sea bream are species in this family. They are found in shallow temperate and tropical waters and are bottom-dwelling carnivores....
in several other Caribbean islands. Saucereye porgies are considered to be minor gamefishes and when caught are marketed both fresh and frozen.
Taxonomy and naming
The Saucereye porgy was first described by the FrenchFrench people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
zoologist, Achille Valenciennes
Achille Valenciennes
Achille Valenciennes was a French zoologist.Valenciennes was born in Paris, and studied under Georges Cuvier. Valenciennes' study of parasitic worms in humans made an important contribution to the study of parasitology...
in a 22-volume
Volume (publishing)
A volume is a single book that is part of a collection; also a bibliographic identifier for a sequence of periodicals....
work entitled Histoire naturelle des poissons (Natural History of Fishes), which was a collaboration with fellow zoologist, Georges Cuvier
Georges Cuvier
Georges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
. It was first described as Pagellus calamus, being placed in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Pagellus
Pagellus
Pagellus is a genus of porgies in the family Sparidae....
. It was since moved into Calamus, a genus named for the mythological
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
Calamus
Kalamos
Kalamos is an ancient Greek word meaning reed or reed pen. The basis for this meaning is the story of the Greek mythological figure Kalamos, son of Maiandros .-Greek mythology:...
, or Kalamos. It was so named because the Calamus of myth allowed himself to drown in a river, after the death of his lover, and transform into aquatic plants that young saucereye porgies make their homes in.
Description
Saucereye porgies can grow up to 56 cm in length, but normally they are 30 to 45 cm long. Though some sources state that they can weigh up to 3 lbs, the largest record is only half that: 1.5 lbs. The cheek area is blue with yellow spots; there is also a dark blue smudge behind the upper gill opening.Distribution and habitat
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
—from North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, east to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, and south to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. They are most common around the cities of Key West
Key West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
and Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. Adults are commonly found around coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s, where they are easily approached by diver
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
s, while juveniles are common to beds of sea grass (mainly Thalassia
Thalassia (genus)
Thalassia is a marine seagrass genus comprising 2 species.-Species:T. testudinum Banks ex König is the type specimen. It is native to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean with specimens found as far east as Bermuda. It has a fossil record in the Gulf to the Middle Eocene.T. hemprichii ...
). Saucereyes feed on a variety of animals, such as mollusks, sea worm
Sea worm
Sea worm is a general term that may refer to a number of phyla of animals, or may refer specifically to:*Acanthocephala, parasitic worm*Annelida, segmented worms*Chaetognatha, arrow worms*Cycliophora, lobster worms*Entoprocta*Echiura, spoon worms...
s, brittle star
Brittle star
Brittle stars or ophiuroids are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea closely related to starfish. They crawl across the seafloor using their flexible arms for locomotion. The ophiuroids generally have five long slender, whip-like arms which may reach up to in length on the largest specimens...
s, hermit crab
Hermit crab
Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea. Most of the 1100 species possess an asymmetrical abdomen which is concealed in an empty gastropod shell that is carried around by the hermit crab.-Description:...
s, crabs and sea urchins.