# Pachymetopon

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Genus of fishes

Pachymetopon Bronze seabream (Pachymetopon grande) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Acanthuriformes Family: Sparidae Genus: Pachymetopon Günther, 1859 Type species Pachymetopon grande Günther, 1859[1] Synonyms[1] Simocantharus Fowler, 1933

**P*achymetopon*** is a genus of marine [ray-finned fishes](/source/Actinopterygii) belonging to the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Sparidae](/source/Sparidae), which includes the seabreams and porgies. The species in this genus are [endemic](/source/Endemism) to [Southern Africa](/source/Southern_Africa).

## Taxonomy

*Pachymetopon* was first proposed as a [monospecific genus](/source/Monospecific_genus) in 1859 by the German-born British [herpetologist](/source/Herpetologist) and [ichthyologist](/source/Ichthyologist) Albert Günther when he [described](/source/Species_description) The [bronze seabream](/source/Bronze_seabream) (*P. grande*),[1] giving its type locality as the [Cape of Good Hope](/source/Cape_of_Good_Hope) in South Africa.[2] This taxon is placed in the family Sparidae within the [order](/source/Order_(biology)) [Spariformes](/source/Spariformes) by the 5th edition of *[Fishes of the World](/source/Fishes_of_the_World)*.[3] Some authorities classify this genus in the subfamily Boopsinae,[4] but the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise subfamilies within the Sparidae.[3]

## Etymology

*Pachymetopon* combines *pachy*, meaning "thick", with *metopon*, which means "brow" or "forehead", a reference to the protuberance between the eyes of the [type species](/source/Type_species), *P. grande*.[5]

## Species

*Pachymetopon* contains the following species:[6]

- *[Pachymetopon aeneum](/source/Pachymetopon_aeneum)* ([Gilchrist](/source/John_Gilchrist_(zoologist)) & [W. W. Thompson](/source/William_Wardlaw_Thompson), 1908) (Blue hottentot)

- *[Pachymetopon blochii](/source/Pachymetopon_blochii)* ([Valenciennes](/source/Achille_Valenciennes), 1830) (Hottentot seabream)

- *[Pachymetopon grande](/source/Pachymetopon_grande)* Günther, 1859 (Bronze Seabream)

## Characteristics

*Pachymetopon* seabreams are characterised by having plump bodies with small mouths whichhave pouting lips and are oblique when shut. There are 4 or 5 rows of [incisor](/source/Incisor)-like teetth in both jaws and no [molar](/source/Molar_(tooth))-like teeth. There are no scales between the eyes. The base of the fin membrane between the soft rays on the [dorsal](/source/Dorsal_fin) and [anal fins](/source/Anal_fin) have dense scaling but none of the fins have a scaly sheath at their base.[7] The largest species is the bronze seabream (*P. grande*) which has a maximum published [total length](/source/Total_length) of 65 cm (26 in), while the smallest is the Hottentot seabream (*P blochii*) with a maximum published total length of 46 cm (18 in).[6]

## Distribution and habitat

*Pachymetopon* seabreams are endemic to the waters off the coasts of South Africa in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean and the southwestern Indian Ocean. The most widespread species is the Hottentot seabream which ranges from Angola to [Port Alfred](/source/Port_Alfred) in the Eastern Cape. The other two species are found in the southwestern Indian Ocean from Mozambique to [Cape Point](/source/Cape_Point) with the bronze seabream apparently being recorded off southern Madagascar. These fishes are found in rocky regions in shallow water less than 55 m (180 ft) in depth.[7]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-CofF_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-CofF_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-CofF_1-2) Fricke, Ron; [Eschmeyer, William N.](/source/William_N._Eschmeyer) & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). ["Species in the genus *Family+Sparidae*"](http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatget.asp?tbl=species&genus=Family+Sparidae). *[Catalog of Fishes](/source/Catalog_of_Fishes)*. [California Academy of Sciences](/source/California_Academy_of_Sciences). Retrieved 1 February 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CofF2_2-0)** Fricke, Ron; [Eschmeyer, William N.](/source/William_N._Eschmeyer) & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). ["Species in the genus *Pachymetopon*"](http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatget.asp?tbl=species&genus=Pachymetopon). *[Catalog of Fishes](/source/Catalog_of_Fishes)*. [California Academy of Sciences](/source/California_Academy_of_Sciences). Retrieved 1 February 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Nelson5_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Nelson5_3-1) [Nelson, J.S.](/source/Joseph_S._Nelson); Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). *Fishes of the World* (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: [John Wiley & Sons](/source/John_Wiley_%26_Sons). pp. 502–506. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1002/9781119174844](https://doi.org/10.1002%2F9781119174844). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-118-34233-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-118-34233-6). [LCCN](/source/LCCN_(identifier)) [2015037522](https://lccn.loc.gov/2015037522). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [951899884](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/951899884). [OL](/source/OL_(identifier)) [25909650M](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL25909650M).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Parenti_4-0)** Parenti, P. (2019). ["An annotated checklist of the fishes of the family Sparidae"](https://fishtaxa.com/menuscript/index.php/ft/article/view/49/52). *FishTaxa*. **4** (2): 47–98.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ETYFish_5-0)** Christopher Scharpf (12 January 2024). ["Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 6): Families GERREIDAE, LETHRINIDAE, NEMIPTERIDAE and SPARIDAE"](https://etyfish.org/acanthuriformes6/). *The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database*. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 1 February 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FishBase_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FishBase_6-1) [Froese, Rainer](/source/Rainer_Froese); [Pauly, Daniel](/source/Daniel_Pauly) (eds.). ["Species in genus *Pachymetopon*"](https://www.fishbase.org/identification/SpeciesList.php?genus=Pachymetopon). *[FishBase](/source/FishBase)*. October 2023 version.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-WIOF_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-WIOF_7-1) Yukio Iwatsuki and Phillip C Heemstra (2022). "Family Sparidae". In [Phillip C Heemstra](/source/Phil_Heemstra); Elaine Heemstra; David A Ebert; Wouter Holleman; and [John E Randall](/source/John_Ernest_Randall) (eds.). [*Coastal Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean*](https://saiab.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/1._wiof_volume_3_text.pdf) (PDF). Vol. 3. South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. pp. 284–315. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-990951-32-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-990951-32-9).

Taxon identifiers Pachymetopon Wikidata: Q2542992 Wikispecies: Pachymetopon BOLD: 3481 CoL: 6BVV GBIF: 2381196 iNaturalist: 90595 IRMNG: 1258521 ITIS: 647870 NCBI: 119726 Open Tree of Life: 270913 WoRMS: 205784

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pachymetopon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachymetopon) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachymetopon?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.