Gaidropsarus mediterraneus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Shore rockling
Gaidropsarus mediterraneus
photo by Svensen, E.

Family:  Gaidropsaridae (Rocklings)
Max. size:  50 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; brackish; marine; depth range 0 - 40 m, oceanodromous
Distribution:  Northeast Atlantic, from Norway and British Isles south to Morocco, including Canaries, Azores and Madeira, and the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Anal spines: 0-0. First dorsal-fin ray followed by a few small fleshy filament. Color varies, brown sometimes reddish and with a vermiculated or mottled pattern dorsally. Paler ventrally. The median fin borders dark (Ref. 1371). One barbel on the lower jaw and two on the snout. Marbled coloration on the back (Ref. 35388).
Biology:  Lives generally at shallow depths near the shores on rocky bottom with aquatic vegetation to 60 m depth. Feeds on fish, crustaceans, worms and algae. Sold fresh in markets, also made into fish meal (Ref. 1371). Caught as a by-catch by various fishing gears (Ref. 35388).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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