Malta country information

Common names: Ballottra, Ballottra tal-fond, Ballottra tat-tikek
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Misidentified as Onos maculatus in Despott (1919, 1934) (Ref. 33971).
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/mt.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Lanfranco, G.G., 1996
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Motelle commune, Mollareta, موتيل شائعة, ... more

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Gadiformes (Cods) > Gaidropsaridae (Rocklings)
Etymology: Gaidropsarus: Greek, ga, ge = the earth + Greek, ydro = water + Greek psaros = speckled, starling (Ref. 45335).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; demersal; non-migratory; depth range 20 - 120 m (Ref. 35388). Temperate; 64°N - 34°N, 23°W - 27°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Northeast Atlantic: central Norwegian coast and the Faeroe Islands southwards through the North Sea and around the British Isles to the region around the Straits of Gibraltar. Reported from Iceland (Ref. 12462). Also in the western and northern coasts of the Mediterranean.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 60.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1371); common length : 25.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3397)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. First dorsal ray followed by a row of small, fleshy filaments. Color is varies from dusky to pale. Fin coloration varies geographically in the Western Atlantic, with southern specimens having more dark blotches than northern ones (Ref. 1371). One barbel on the lower jaw and two on the snout. Large chocolate brown spots on head and body (Ref. 35388).

Found on rocky bottoms but also on mud, sand and gravel. Feed on shrimps, crabs, isopods, small fish, mollusks and polychaetes (Ref. 1371). Spawn during spring and summer in the Mediterranean. Eggs and larvae are pelagic (Ref. 1371).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Cohen, D.M., T. Inada, T. Iwamoto and N. Scialabba, 1990. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 10. Gadiform fishes of the world (Order Gadiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cods, hakes, grenadiers and other gadiform fishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(10). Rome: FAO. 442 p. (Ref. 1371)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 18 October 2014

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial

FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Ecology
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Distribution
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BRUVS - Videos

Anatomy
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Visual pigment(s)
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Stamps, coins, misc.

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References
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Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 7.1 - 12.6, mean 9.6 (based on 254 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5001 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00490 (0.00304 - 0.00790), b=3.01 (2.87 - 3.15), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.5 ±0.4 se; based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tmax=6).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Moderate vulnerability (44 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Medium.

Gaidropsarus vulgaris (Cloquet, 1824)