{{Short description|Species of fish}} {{Speciesbox | image = Sarpa salpa .jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Russell, B. |author2=Pollard, D. |author3=Mann, B.Q. |author4=Buxton, C.D. |author5=Carpenter, K.E. |author5-link=Kent E. Carpenter |name-list-style=& |date=2014 |title=''Sarpa salpa'' |article-number=e.T170169A1286510 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T170169A1286510.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref> | taxon = Sarpa salpa | parent_authority = [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1831 | authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]) | synonyms = '''<small>Genus synonymy</small>''' {{Genus list | Eusalpa | [[Henry Weed Fowler|Fowler]], 1925 | Labeo | [[Sarah Bowdich Lee|Bowditch]], 1825 | Labeova | [[Gilbert Percy Whitley|Whitley]], 1950 }} '''<small>Species synonymy</small>''' {{Specieslist | Sparus salpa | Linnaeus, 1758 | Boops salpa | (Linnaeus, 1758) | Box salpa | (Linnaeus, 1758) | Eusalpa salpa | (Linnaeus, 1758) | Box goreensis | [[Achille Valenciennes|Valenciennes]], 1830 | Boops goreensis | (Valenciennes, 1830) }} | synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite WoRMS |title=''Sarpa'' |id=126081 |access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref><ref name = Parenti>{{cite journal |author= Parenti, P. |year=2019 |title=An annotated checklist of the fishes of the family Sparidae |journal=FishTaxa |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=47–98 |url= https://fishtaxa.com/menuscript/index.php/ft/article/view/49/52}}</ref><ref name = FishBase>{{FishBase|Sarpa|salpa|month=October|year=2023}}</ref> }}
The '''salema porgy''' ('''''Sarpa salpa'''''), also known as the '''dreamfish''', '''salema''', '''cow bream''', '''karanteen''', '''salpa''', '''saupe''', '''strepie''' or '''goldline''', is a species of marine [[Actinopterygii|ray-finned fish]] belonging to the [[Family (taxonomy)|family]] [[Sparidae]], which includes the seabreams and porgies. It is the only species in the [[monospecific genus]] '''''Sarpa'''''. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and southwestern Indian Ocean.
==Taxonomy== The salema porgy was first formally [[Species description|described]] as ''Sparus salpa'' in 1758 by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'']], no type locality was given but it is presumed to be the Mediterranean.<ref name = CofF>{{Cof genus|genus=Sarpa|access-date=18 February 2024}}</ref> In 1831 [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte]] classified ''Sparus sarpa'' in a monotypic section of the genus ''Box''.<ref name = CofF2>{{Cof family|family=Sparidae|access-date=18 February 2024}}</ref> The genus ''[[Rhabdosargus]]'' is placed in the family Sparidae within the [[Order (biology)|order]] [[Spariformes]] by the 5th edition of ''[[Fishes of the World]]''.<ref name = Nelson5>{{cite book |author1=Nelson, J.S. |author1-link=Joseph S. Nelson |author2=Grande, T.C. |author3=Wilson, M.V.H. |year=2016 |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |place=Hoboken, NJ |pages=502–506 |isbn=978-1-118-34233-6 |lccn=2015037522 |oclc=951899884 |ol=25909650M |doi=10.1002/9781119174844}}</ref> Some authorities classify this genus in the subfamily Sparinae,<ref name = Parenti/> but the 5th edition of ''Fishes of the World'' does not recognise subfamilies within the Sparidae.<ref name = Nelson5/>
==Etymology== The salema porgy has the genus name ''Sarpa'' which is the local name for this fish in [[Genoa]]. The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]] ''salpa'' is a modern [[Greek language|Greek]] rendering of the Ancient Greek ''salpe'' or ''salpes'', which dates back at least to [[Aristotle]].<ref name = ETYFish>{{cite web |url=https://etyfish.org/acanthuriformes6/ |title=Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 6): Families GERREIDAE, LETHRINIDAE, NEMIPTERIDAE and SPARIDAE |date=12 January 2024 |access-date=18 February 2024 |author=Christopher Scharpf |work=The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database |publisher=Christopher Scharpf}}</ref>
== Description == The salema porgy has a moderately slender, neatly oval body which has a depth which fits into its [[standard length]] 2.8 times. The [[dorsal fin]] is supported by 11 spines and 14 or 15 soft rays while the [[anal fin]] contains 3 spines and between 13 and 15 soft rays. There are scales on the cheeks under the eyes. There is a scaly sheath at the base of the anal fin but the area between the eyes, the base of the anal fin and the flange of the [[preoperculum]] are scaleless. There is a single row of notched [[incisor|incisor-like teeth]] on the upper jaw and pointed incisor-like teeth on the lower jaw, and there are no [[Molar (tooth)|molar-like teeth]]. The body is silvery with between 8 and 10 horizontal golden lines along the sides with a black spot at the base of the [[pectoral fin]].<ref name = WIOF>{{cite book |author=Yukio Iwatsuki |author2=Phillip C Heemstra |name-list-style=and |chapter=Family Sparidae |pages=284–315 |title=Coastal Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean |volume=3 |editor1=[[Phil Heemstra|Phillip C Heemstra]] |editor2=Elaine Heemstra |editor3=David A Ebert |editor4=Wouter Holleman |editor5=[[John Ernest Randall|John E Randall]] |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-990951-32-9 |publisher=South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity |url=https://saiab.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/1._wiof_volume_3_text.pdf}}</ref>
Males are typically {{Convert|15|to(-)|30|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} in length, while females are usually {{Convert|31|to(-)|45|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite journal |date= 2006 |title= Activity patterns, home-range size, and habitat utilization of ''Sarpa salpa'' (Teleostei: Sparidae) in the Mediterranean Sea |journal= [[ICES Journal of Marine Science]] |volume= 63|issue= 1|pages= 128–139 |doi= 10.1016/j.icesjms.2005.06.010 |last1= Jadot |first1= C. |last2= Donnay |first2= A. |last3= Acolas |first3= M. |last4= Cornet |first4= Y. |last5= Begoutanras |first5= M. |doi-access= free |bibcode= 2006ICJMS..63..128J }}</ref> The maximum size is {{Convert|51|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="fishbase">{{FishBase | genus = Sarpa | species = salpa | month =April| year = 2015}}</ref>
==Distribution== The salema porgy is found in the East Atlantic, where it ranges from the [[Bay of Biscay]] to [[South Africa]], as well as in the [[Mediterranean]].<ref name=fishbase/> It has occasionally been found as far north as [[Great Britain]].<ref name=dt>{{cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/5318202/Fish-that-triggers-hallucinations-found-off-British-coast.html |title=Fish that triggers hallucinations found off British coast |date=13 May 2009 |access-date=18 February 2024 |publisher=Daily Telegraph|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090516213110/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/5318202/Fish-that-triggers-hallucinations-found-off-British-coast.html |archive-date=2009-05-16 }}</ref> It is generally common and found from near the surface to a depth of {{convert|70|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021" />
== Biology == Salema porgies are largely vegetarian; a study in Libya found that sea grass dominated the diet, with algae being the second most important item and crustaceans the third.<ref name = Ahmed>{{cite journal |author=Ashraf I. Ahmed |author2=Salah G. El-Etreby |author3=Magdy A. Alwany |name-list-style=and |author4=Randa A. Ali |year=2014 |title=Food and Feeding Habits of ''Sarpa salpa'' Salema (family: Sparidae) in the Libyan Coast of the Mediterranean Sea |journal=Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biololgy & Fisheries |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=109–113 |url=https://ejabf.journals.ekb.eg/article_2233_33f74b6d19e94192d844aa0a39183fa4.pdf}}</ref> Off Corsica, the seagrass ''[[Posidonia oceanica]]'' and its [[epiphytes]] were found to be the main food of adults while the juveniles were plankton eaters.<ref name = Havelange>{{cite journal |author=S. Havelange |author2=G. Lepoint |author3=P. Dauby |author4=J.-M. Bouquegneau |year=2008 |title=Feeding of the Sparid Fish ''Sarpa salpa'' in a Seagrass Ecosystem: Diet and Carbon Flux |journal=Marine Ecology |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=289–297 |doi=10.1111/j.1439-0485.1997.tb00443.x|hdl=2268/26095 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
Off South Africa spawning takes place between April and September and there is an annual migration between nursery areas in the [[Eastern Cape|Eastern]] and [[Western Cape]] to [[KwaZulu-Natal]]. This species is a [[protandrous hermaphrodite]].<ref name = Waly>{{cite journal |author=Walt, B.A. |author2=Mann, B. |name-list-style=& |year=1998 |title=Aspects of the reproductive biology of ''Sarpa salpa'' (Pisces: Sparidae) off the east coast of South Africa |journal=South African Journal of Zoology |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=241–248 |doi=10.1080/02541858.1998.11448478}}</ref> In the northern hemisphere, the spawning season in the [[Canary Islands]] was found to extend from September to March.<ref name = Villamil>{{cite journal | author=María Méndez Villamil |author2=José M. Lorenzo |author3=José G. Pajuelo |author4=Antonio Ramos |name-list-style=& |author5=Josep Coca |year=2002|title=Aspects of the Life History of the Salema, ''Sarpa salpa'' (Pisces, Sparidae), off the Canarian Archipelago (Central-East Atlantic) |journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=183–192 |doi=10.1023/A:1014216000459|bibcode=2002EnvBF..63..183M |s2cid=25014690 }}</ref> Off Italy the change from male to female took place between [[total length]]s of {{cvt|24|and|31|cm}} and this corresponded to a ages between 3 and 7 years. The size when sexual maturity was reached by half of the fish was {{cvt|19.5|cm}}, and most of these fishes were males. There were two separate spawning seasons in this population one in the spring, running between March and May, and a second in autumn, from the end of September to November.<ref name = Criscoli>{{cite journal |author=Criscoli A |author2=Colloca F |author3=Carpentieri P |author4=Belluscio A |author5=Ardizzone G |title=Observations on the reproductive cycle, age and growth of the salema, ''Sarpa salpa'' (Osteichthyes: Sparidae) along the western central coast of Italy |journal=Scientia Marina |year=2006 |volume=70 |issue=1 |pages=131–138 |doi=10.3989/scimar.2006.70n1131 |url=https://scientiamarina.revistas.csic.es/index.php/scientiamarina/article/view/190|doi-access=free }}</ref>
== Consumption and toxicity == [[File:Salema porgy as food 003.png|thumb|upright|Baked salemas]] The vegetarian diet of the saupe {{cn|reason=makes it almost impossible to fish with a rod|date=November 2024}}, its modest size and its living areas also make it not very vulnerable to fishing with a net or harpoon. This is why this fish is rare on plates and practically not sold. The saupe is practically no longer consumed except in [[France]], [[Israel]] and [[Tunisia]].{{citation_needed|date=March 2024}}
''Sarpa salpa'' became widely known for its [[Ichthyoallyeinotoxism|ichthyoallyeinotoxic]] effects following widely publicized articles in 2006, when two men ingested it at a Mediterranean restaurant and began to experience many auditory and visual [[Hallucinogenic fish|hallucinogenic]] effects.<ref name = Pommier>{{cite news | title = Hallucinatory Fish Poisoning (Ichthyoallyeinotoxism): Two Case Reports From the Western Mediterranean and Literature Review | work = Clinical Toxicology 2006, Vol. 44, No. 2 : Pages 187 | author = Pommier, De Haro | date = October 2006 | volume = 44 | issue = 2 | pages = 185–188 | doi = 10.1080/15563650500514590 }}</ref> These [[hallucination]]s, described as frightening, were reported to have occurred two hours after the fish was ingested and had a total duration of 36 hours.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-05-13|title='Hallucination' fish netted in Channel|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/may/13/hallucination-fish-cornwall|access-date=2021-07-24|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref>
The fish, and especially its viscera, have been assessed as potentially unsafe by a study conducted on Mediterranean specimens.<ref name="Bellassoued">{{cite news | title = Neurotoxicity in rats induced by the poisonous dreamfish (''Sarpa salpa'') | work = Pharmaceutical Biology 2015, Vol. 53, No. 11 : Pages 286–295 | author1 = Khaled Bellassoued | author2 = Jos Van Pelt | author3 = Abdelfattah Elfeki | name-list-style=amp | date = 22 Sep 2014 | volume = 53 | issue = 2 | pages = 286–295 | quote =Liver and especially the visceral part of ''S. salpa'' presented toxicity, which clearly indicates the danger of using this fish as food. | doi = 10.3109/13880209.2014.916311 }}</ref> Saupes are not toxic all year round but only during certain periods, which raises suspicion of the role of [[algae]] toxins or [[phytoplankton]] ingested by fish, and swarming at certain periods, which renders it [[Ichthyoallyeinotoxism|ichthyoallyeinotoxic]].<ref name="Haro208">{{cite news|author=Luc De Haro|title=Intoxications par organismes aquatiques|work=Revue de médecine tropicale, 2008, N° 68, pages 367–374|url=http://www.revuemedecinetropicale.com/367-374_-_De_Haro_Conference.pdf}}.</ref>
Since the accidental introduction of ''[[Caulerpa taxifolia]]'' into the Mediterranean, the saupe has tended to accumulate in its body the toxins produced by this alga. It is therefore recommended to empty it as soon as it is fished.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.info-chassesousmarine.fr/soupe/ |title=See on ''info-chassesousmarine.fr''. |access-date=2023-11-27 |archive-date=2019-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190113235257/https://www.info-chassesousmarine.fr/soupe/ }}</ref>
==Feeding== The salema porgy is a plant-herbivore and due to overpopulation in Portugal had overgrazed seagrass in the area as of 2014. Three substitutes were tested as a substitute for the Portuguese floor. ''Cymodocea nodosa'', ''Zostera marina'', and ''Zostera noltii'' were given to an adult ''S. salpa'' for testing. It preferred the ''Zostera noltii'', therefore the ''Cymodocea nodosa'' and ''Zostera marina'' are preferred for seagrass restorations in areas with large populations of ''S. salpa''.<ref name=":0" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Sarpa salpa}} * {{SealifePhotos|127064}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q1130118|from2=Q19851142}}
[[Category:Sparidae]] [[Category:Fish described in 1758]] [[Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]