Archosargus probatocephalus
Sheepshead
NS
G5
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Sparidae (Porgies)
Archosargus
Archosargus probatocephalus (Sheepshead)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (Carpenter, K.E. (ed.) 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. FAO, Rome.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
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Synonymy
Archosargus aries (Valenciennes, 1830) / None.
Characters
Body oval, compressed and moderately deep (the depth about twice in st andard
length). Snout moderately blunt; posterior nostril slit-like; mouth comparatively sm all, the maxilla not reaching
to below anterior eye margin. Jaws anteriorly with a series of 8 (4 on each side) broad incisor-like teeth,
their edges straight or only slightly notched (in large adults); later ally with several series of molar-like teeth
(3 in upper, 2 in lower jaw). Dorsal fin usu ally with 12 spines and 11 soft rays, preceded by a sm all for-
ward-directed spine embedded in the skin. Anal fin with 3 spines, the second spine very strong; usu ally 10
anal-fin soft rays. Pectoral fins long, extending beyond the anal opening when appressed. Caudal fin slightly
forked. Scales in lateral line 45 to 49. Colour: grey with 5 or 6 (r arely 4 or 7) dark vertical bars on body and
one on nape, gener ally slightly narrower than pale interspaces (bars more evident on young); no dark spot
near origin of lateral line.
Body shape: short and / or deep.
Distribution
Nova Scotia to Florida and the
Gulf of Mexico; absent from the West Indies; a
few scattered reports from Honduras to Rio de
Janeiro.
Note: Archosargus probatocephalus is subdi-
vided into 3 subspecies by some authors: A. p.
probatocephalus for the nor thern form from
Nova Scotia to Cedar Key on the west coast of
Florida, A. p. oviceps Ginsburg (which is associ-
ated with mud bottoms) in the Gulf of Mexico
from St. Harks, Florida to the Campeche Bank,
and A. p. aries from Belize to Bahia de Sepetiba
(just south of Rio de Janeiro).
Habitat Associations
Inhab its inshore, rocky, and hard-substrate areas; freely enters brackish wa-
ter. Feeds primarily on sessile invertebrates such as bryozoans, molluscs, barnacles, and crustaceans. Caught mainly with bottom longlines and trawls; prominent in the catch of anglers. The catch reported from Area 31 totaled 1 501 t in 2000 and has remained fairly stable
over the last 10 years.
Biology
Maximum to 91 cm, commonly to 35 cm; world game record 9.63 kg.
Inhabits bays and estuaries. Freely enters brackish waters; sometimes enters freshwaters (Ref. 26938). Commonly found around pilings. Caught by anglers from jetties or rocky shores (Ref. 9988). Feeds mainly on mollusks and crustaceans. An excellent food fish. Marketed fresh and frozen; eaten broiled, microwaved and baked (Ref. 9988).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-03-31. Resilience: Medium (K=0.4; tmax=20).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
An excellent foodfish; usu-
ally marketed fresh.
References
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Frimodt, C. (1995) Multilingual illustrated guide to the world's commercial coldwater fish. Fishing News Books, Osney Mead, Oxford, England. 215 p.
Yáñes-Arancibia, A., A.L. Lara-Domínguez and J.W. Day Jr. (1993) Interactions between mangrove and seagrass habitats mediated by estuarine nekton assemblages: coupling of primary and secondary production. Hydrobiologia 264:1-12.
Comments On Archosargus probatocephalus