Madeira Canary Islands Azores – Fishes Dr. Peter Wirtz

to be very rare but have now increased in numbers. A protogynous sex-changer, i. e. all juveniles turn into
females (at an age of two to three years and a size of about 16 cm) and later into males (at an age of four to
nine years and a size of 22 to 30 cm). They can reach an age of eleven years. Photo Peter Wirtz.
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Bogue (Boops boops)
Up to 30 cm long. Madeira, Canary Islands, Azores. 2 – 200 m depth.
Bogue form schools of many hundred individuals in the open water over rocky bottom. They mainly feed on
plankton but also take food from the bottom. From the distance, the yellow lines on the body cannot be seen
and the animal appears silvery. Only from close up, the two to three thin, longitudinal lines are visible. Bogue
reach sexual maturity with a length of about 13 cm and an age of one year. They can reach six years of age.
Photo Peter Wirtz.
Lump-headed bream (Dentex gibbosus)
Up to 1 m long. Madeira, Canary Islands. 10 – 300 m depth.
In shallow water, only young animals of the Lump-headed bream can be seen. The third ray of their dorsal fin
is elongated. They reach sexual maturity with about 35 cm length. Adult animals live far below the limits of
SCUBA diving. They owe their name to the massive lump on the head of large males (insert from Funchal
fish market). Photos Peter Wirtz.
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Pandora (Pagellus erythrinus)