Western Atlantic Seabream

The Western Atlantic seabream is similar to other members of its genus, such as the sheepshead. They differ in that they are smaller, have several horizontal blue streaks, mixed with gold or yellow, and a dark spot at the shoulder. It does have vertical crossbars, like the Sheepshead, but they disappear with age. The maximum published length of a Western Atlantic seabream is 33 centimetres (13 in), though they usually grow to about 20 centimetres (7.9 in). The heaviest was recorded to weigh 0.55 kilograms (1.2 lb). Western Atlantic seabream have nine spines on their dorsal fins, and 10–11 soft rays. On their anal fins, they have only three spines, but the same number of rays. The large intestine of the Western Atlantic seabream makes up roughly 90% of the length of its entire digestive tract. Males and females can be distinguished by the color of their pelvic fins: in males, the fin is partially or totally dark, while in females it is an orange color.

Western Atlantic seabream are known from waters off New Jersey and the northern Gulf of Mexico, south to Argentina. Oddly, they are not found near the Bahamas, though they are known from many other parts of the West Indies. They are commonly found in mangrove swamps, and in muddy, or vegetated bottoms. They are occasionally found in brackish water, and over reefs near mangroves. Western Atlantic seabream feed mainly on small, benthic invertebrates, such as bivalves, crustaceans and aquatic plants and can live up to two years in the wild.

== References ==