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Cymatoceps nasutus (Castelnau, 1861)

Black musselcracker
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
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Cymatoceps nasutus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Cymatoceps nasutus (Black musselcracker)
Cymatoceps nasutus
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South Africa country information

Common names: Black musselcracker, Musselcracker, Poenskop
Occurrence: native
Salinity: brackish
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: commercial | Ref: van der Elst, R.P. and F. Adkin (eds.), 1991
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: gamefish: yes;
Comments: Ranges from Natal to the Cape (Ref. 3198). Stock depressed and vulnerable; component of the commercial catch, sought by recreational fishers (Ref. 4332). Also Ref. 12484.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Smith, J.L.B. and M.M. Smith, 1986
National Database:

Common names from other countries

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

Teleostei (teleosts) > Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) > Sparidae (Porgies)
Etymology: Cymatoceps: Greek, kyma, -atos = wave, swelling, bump (Ref. 45335).
  More on author: Castelnau.

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

Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 1 - 80 m (Ref. 3507).   Subtropical; 22°S - 35°S

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

Western Indian Ocean: Natal to the Cape in South Africa.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?, range 53 - ? cm
Max length : 150 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3507); max. published weight: 34.4 kg (Ref. 40637)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8. Adults with a large fleshy 'nose'.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Inhabits shallow, rocky coastal areas to 80 m depth. Rarely enters estuaries. Feeds on crabs, crayfish, sea urchins and other hard-shelled animals (Ref. 3670). Takes almost any bait (Ref. 3198). Important food fish. Head considered a delicacy in some areas (Ref. 3198). It is parasitised by the monogenean Anoplodiscus cirrusspiralis on the fins and body surface (Ref. 124057).

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

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Bauchot, M.-L. and M.M. Smith, 1984. Sparidae. In W. Fischer and G. Bianchi (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean (Fishing Area 51). volume 4. [var. pag.] FAO, Rome. (Ref. 3507)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Vulnerable (VU) (A2bd); Date assessed: 15 November 2009

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless




Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
FAO(Fisheries: production; publication : search) | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
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Predators
Ecology
Ecology
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Length-weight rel.
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Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 16.7 - 26, mean 23.9 (based on 36 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 1.0000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01549 (0.00846 - 0.02836), b=3.06 (2.91 - 3.21), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.6   ±0.40 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (K=0.05; tmax=45).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  High to very high vulnerability (74 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Very high.