About Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758
The gilt-head bream, Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758, has a deep body and a large, deep head, with relatively small eyes set high on the head. The eye diameter is shorter than the length of the snout. The deep cheeks are covered in scales; the preoperculum lacks scales, while the operculum does have scales. This species has a long-based dorsal fin supported by 11 robust spines and 13 or 14 branched soft rays. The short-based anal fin is supported by three spines and 11 or 12 branched soft rays. It has large, robust teeth in its jaws: there are four to six large, pointed canine-like teeth at the front of the jaws, and 2 to 4 rows of blunt, round teeth along the sides of the jaws. Its back is blue-grey, its sides are silvery with a large dark spot behind the eye, the margin of the operculum is red, and a golden stripe runs across the head between the eyes. The maximum total length of this species is 70 cm (28 in), while a more typical standard length is 35 cm (14 in), and the maximum published weight is 17.2 kg (38 lb). Gilt-head bream are distributed in the northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, ranging from Great Britain and Ireland south to possibly Senegal, and including the Canary Islands. Records of this species around Madeira are of individuals that escaped from aquaculture. They also occur throughout the entire Mediterranean, and in the southern and western parts of the Black Sea. This species lives over sandy substrates and in seagrass beds, at depths between 1 and 150 m. Adults are found in deeper waters than juveniles; young fish typically do not go deeper than 30 m. It is a euryhaline species that can enter brackish waters. Gilt-head bream is considered the most highly prized seabream for culinary use, particularly in Southern Europe. Its mild, sweet flesh that breaks into small flakes is widely popular.
