About Spicara maena (Linnaeus, 1758)
Spicara maena is a fairly deep-bodied fish. Males reach a maximum length of about 25 cm (10 in), while females reach a maximum of 21 cm (8 in). Its upper jaw is protrusible, and its mouth contains several rows of small teeth. It has a single dorsal fin with eleven spines and twelve soft rays; its anal fin has three spines and nine or ten soft rays. There are between 68 and 70 scales along its lateral line.
The species is blue-grey on its upper body, with silvery sides marked by scattered small dark spots. There is usually one large dark blotch above the tip of the pectoral fin. Spicara maena is a rather variable species, it has many synonyms across its wide range, and it is often confused with the common picarel Spicara smaris.
Spicara maena is native to the Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea. In the Atlantic, its range extends north from Morocco and the Canary Islands to Portugal. It occurs at depths between about 30 and 90 m (98 and 295 ft), living close to the seabed over sandy and muddy bottoms and in Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows.
