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Interesting Facts about Boops Boops
[Phylum: Chordata] [Class: Actinopterygii] [Order: Perciformes] [Family: Sparidae (ray-finned)]
One species of seabream is overlooked more than others. It's a small marine ray-finned fish with several common names, including the bogue, the bream, and the goldline.
This segment contains some little known facts about the Boops boops (Sparidae), including where they live, what they eat, and how they reproduce.
Boops Boops Fish Habitats and Distribution
There are more than 150 types of sea bream fish (Spariformes) with varying geographical ranges.
The Boops boops fish (bogues) are mostly confined to key regions of the Eastern Atlantic and European coastlines, but especially:
- The British Isles (including southern Norway)
- Northeastern Atlantic Ocean (Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands)
- The Mediterranean Sea (North Africa, Spain)
- Cape Verde Islands (including Sao Tome-Principe)
In general, most Sparidae are a semi-pelagic species and a demersal feeding groundfish. They spend most of the day hunting for food around rocky outcrops and seagrass beds in the shallow benthic zones of temperate waters and the brackish water of estuaries (excluding the Baltic Sea).
Boops Boops Seabream Characteristics
The general appearance of Boops boops is one of a slender and shiny mid-sized fish with a flattish elongated body and white underbelly.
A distinctive golden greenish line runs along each side of their silver coloured body (hence their common name of 'goldline') and stretches all the way to the small forked tail.
It's rare for this particular species of sea bream to grow longer than thirty (30) centimetres (12 inches). Even so, at full maturity some adults have attained a total length of 36 centimetres (14 inches).
Bogues are mostly renowned for their schooling behaviour.
They often ascend in large schools and form large gatherings in the shallow coastal waters that run from Norway down to Angola.
Interesting Fact: One of the funniest fish names "Boops boops" actually comes from the Greek language - translating to "cow-eyed" and referring to the fish's oversized eyes.
What Does the Boop Boop Fish Eat?
Like many marine vertebrate creatures, the fish becomes most at night when it migrates closer to the surface to feed.
Even though they hunt for food in shallow waters, some species of Boops boops have been documented at depths approaching 350 metres (1,149 feet).
For the most part, these lesser-known seabream species are typical omnivores that feed on planktonic organisms and detritus, (including algae, phytoplankton, seaweed, and zooplankton).
Even so, they will add several other tiny aquatic animals to their daily diet if the opportunity arises, such as small crustaceans (e.g. copepods), marine mollusks, and fish eggs.
Boops Boops Reproduction
Boops boops are protogynous hermaphrodites, which means many individuals start out their life as a female and later transition into a male.
Most sea breams congregate in large aggregations (e.g. shoaling for enhanced protection) especially during the Spring and Summer spawning seasons.
When these oviparous fishes mate, females release eggs into the water column and the larvae float along with the ocean currents waiting to be fertilised externally by the male gametes.
Threats and Predators
The Boops boops fish has some commercial importance and it's a popular fish in Mediterranean cuisine for culinary use (e.g. grilled or eaten in soups).
Here's the thing:
The feed habits of bogues help to maintain a delicate balance in many marine ecosystems, by controlling excessive populations of their prey.
Furthermore, the species has a crucial role in the marine food chain. They are prey for some marine seabirds (e.g. cormorants, gulls) and large fish, including groupers, sea bass, tuna, and some marine mammals (e.g. dolphins, seals).
However, the diet of Boops boops makes them vulnerable to parasites and flatworms. Hence, like the puffer fish, it is known to accumulate certain dangerous toxins in some regions, especially ciguatera (a foodborne illness caused by eating contaminated reef fish).
Pro Tip: The most recent assessment conducted by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species took place in August 2009. The Boops boops fish is listed as "Least Concern" with their current population trend classed as "stable".
Related Information and Help Guides
- A to Z of the Marine Biology Terminology
- 10 Examples of Vertebrates Fish
- Facts about Sea Breams with Pictures
Note: The short video [1:53 seconds] presented by 'Deep Marine Scenes' contains fun and interesting facts about the bogue (Boops boops) - a seabream that forms large aggregations in shallow environments.