The common sunflower [1] , or the Japanese sunflower [1] , or the blacksmith [1] ( lat. Zeus faber ) is a species of ray-finned sunflower (Zeidae) family fish . Another name is “St. Peter's Fish” (often also called tilapia ). Its value reaches an average of 60 cm, and weight - 4 kg. Sometimes there were individuals up to 90 cm in size and weighing 8 kg. In the wild, the life span of these fish is about 12 years.
| Sunflower |
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| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetric |
| Nadotryad : | Paracanthopterygii |
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| International Scientific Name |
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Zeus faber Linnaeus , 1758 |
| Area |
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| Security status |
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Not enough data IUCN Data Deficient : 198769 |
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Content
The body is oval in shape, very high (its height is 1.5–2 times in body length), strongly compressed from the sides [2] . The dorsal and anal fins are supported by thorny spines, which rise when excited. When folded, the long dorsal spines reach the tail stem. For better protection from enemies, the dory is able to change its color to the environment.
The body is colored greenish brown. The belly is silvery white. On the sides of the body are yellow stripes. In the anal and ventral fins, membranes are black. On both sides of the body there is a round black spot, often framed by a yellow stripe [3] . According to legend, this is the fingerprint of the Apostle Peter . Also it is told that he pulled out a gold coin from the mouth of the dreamer.
Sunflower is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from South Africa to Norway , as well as in the Mediterranean and Black Seas . Widely distributed in the Indian Ocean . In the Pacific, it lives off the coasts of Japan , Australia and New Zealand . He prefers to be at the bottom of the sea at a depth of five to 200 m and lives alone.
Sexual maturity in the sunflower comes at the age of three or four years. It multiplies in the winter and spring months. The northernmost region where its spawning was found was the Irish Sea . Eggs are deposited at a depth of 100 m, fertilized in water and after that are in free swimming. Hatching fry feed on plankton for the first time. After some time, the young individuals gather in small groups.
Sunflower feeds mainly on herring and other fish found in schools. He cautiously approaches the shoal of fish and suddenly sucks in his prey, possessing a well-developed mouth apparatus necessary for this. It partially hunts for invertebrates , in particular squid and crustaceans .
Valuable commercial fish. World catches of common dory from 2005–2014 varied from 9.6 to 11.7 thousand tons. Mostly they catch Morocco, Senegal and Madeira. Fishing is conducted by bottom trawls [4]
- ↑ 1 2 3 Reshetnikov Yu.S. , Kotlyar A.N. , Russ T.S. , Shatunovsky M.I. The five-language dictionary of animal names. Fish. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / edited by Acad. V.E. Sokolova . - M .: Rus. laz., 1989. - p. 221. - 12 500 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00237-0 .
- ↑ Vasilyeva, E. D., Fish of the Black Sea. Key to marine, brackish, euryhaline and migratory species with color illustrations collected by S. V. Bogorodsky. - M .: VNIRO, 2007. - p. 68-69. - 238 s. - 200 copies - ISBN 978-5-85382-347-1 .
- ↑ Commercial fish of Russia. In two volumes / ed. O. F. Gritsenko, A. N. Kotlyar, and B. N. Koteneva. - Moscow : VNIRO publishing house, 2006. - T. 1. - p. 461—462. - 656 s. - ISBN 5-85382-229-2 .
- ↑ Zeus faber Linnaeus, 1758 FAO, Species Fact Sheet
- Common sunflower (Eng.) In the database FishBase . (Checked January 24, 2018)
- View of the Zeus faber (eng.) In the World Register of Marine Species . (Checked January 24, 2018)
