Acanthopagrus arabicus, Iwatsuki, 2013

Freyhof, Jörg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, GmbH, Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter : 832-833

Acanthopagrus arabicus

Common name. Arabian yellow seabream.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from A. sheim , a marine species in Persian Gulf, by: ● black blotches on inter-radial membranes between dorsal rays absent (vs. present) / ● no black streaks near base of anal inter-radial membranes between yellow anal rays (vs. present). Size up to 220 mm SL.

Distribution . Persian Gulf to Duqum (Oman) to Trivandrum in southwest India. In lower Euphrates and Tigris drainages, recorded from Shatt al Arab/Arvand, Shatt al Basra Canal, Hammar and Horalazim marshes, and lower parts of Karun. Also enters lower parts of coastal rivers in Persian Gulf basin, not reported from wadis along Arabian Peninsula.

Habitat. Coastal lagoons and lower parts of rivers. On sand and rocky bottoms in sea to about 50 m depth. Often feeds on mudflats. Spawns at sea.

Biology. Lives up to 14 years. Juveniles enter brackish or freshwaters, and fish in fresh and brackish waters are usually less than 145 mm SL. Large parts of the population remain at sea. Adults migrate from Shatt al Arab from January–March to spawn. Spawns January–April with a peak in February–March. Protandrous hermaphrodite with males dominating smaller and females dominating larger size groups. Feeds mainly on bivalves and crabs, less commonly on other benthic invertebrates, plants, and fish.

Conservation status. LC; important commercial species.

Further reading. Coad 2010a (biology in Iraq).

Figures

Acanthopagrus arabicus

Distribution