Madeira Canary Islands Azores – Fishes Dr. Peter Wirtz
Madeira Canary Islands Azores – Fishes Dr. Peter Wirtz
Madeira Canary Islands Azores – Fishes Dr. Peter Wirtz
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lighter in colour and much rarer than the Streaked gurnard. It swims and “crawls” over sandy bottom. Pedro<br />
Monteiro.<br />
56<br />
Wreckfish (Polyprionidae)<br />
Wreckfish (Polyprion americanus)<br />
Up to 2 m long. <strong>Madeira</strong>, <strong>Canary</strong> <strong>Islands</strong>, <strong>Azores</strong>. 1 <strong>–</strong> 1000 m depth.<br />
Adult Wreckfish are a dark silvery colour and live in a depth of far more than 100 m. Divers or snorklers do<br />
not see them. Young Wreckfish, however, live in shallow water in the open sea, usually below floating<br />
objects. The animal shown here had a length of about 30 cm and was swimming near the <strong>Azores</strong> <strong>–</strong> together<br />
with two more individuals of the same species <strong>–</strong> below a loose, floating buoy. Photo <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Wirtz</strong>.<br />
Groupers (Serranidae)<br />
Swallowtail seaperch (Anthias anthias)<br />
Up to 25 cm long. <strong>Madeira</strong>, <strong>Canary</strong> <strong>Islands</strong>, <strong>Azores</strong>. 20 <strong>–</strong> 300 m depth.<br />
Usually, swallowtail seaperch can only be encountered in at least 30 m depth. There they can form very large<br />
groups. Most animals in the swarm are females, only a few <strong>–</strong> the largest <strong>–</strong> are males. If one of the large males<br />
dies, the largest of the females changes sex and turns male. As can be seen in the photo, the third ray of the<br />
dorsal fin and the pelvic fins are elongated. Photo <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Wirtz</strong>.
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