On the Mediterranean Sea coast there is a very rich and diverse fauna. There are surface, middle and deep water fish. And among the fish that live in the depths of the coast, the rock fish of the Mediterranean stand out.
Many of these fish are masters of camouflage and can take on an indistinguishable appearance, identical to the rock on which they perch. Others live hidden among the cracks and fissures of the underwater rock.
If you continue reading our site we will show you the most characteristic Mediterranean rockfish.
Small rockfish
On the riverside rocks, some of which outcrop out of the water, there are various species of small rockfish. Below we will list the most common.
- Maiden - Coris julis -, beautiful fish with vivid colors.
- Vaqueta - Serranus scriba -, a serranid very common in shallow waters.
- Castañuela - Chromis chromis -, a very small fish that lives in small schools among the rocky shoals.
- Barriguda - Parablennius pilicordis -, small blenny also known as burrito.
- Mona - Curyphoblennius galeryta -, another very common blenny.
- Rock goby - Gobius cubitus -, common goby in rocky coastal environments.
- Serrano - Serranus cabrilla -, common fish of the coastal reefs.
Image of a castanet:
Hidden in the cracks
Among the cracks, crevices and cavities that proliferate in the submerged rocks of the seabed, there are two snaking and powerful fish constantly on the lookout of the prey that pass in front of its sharp jaws.
- Congrio - Conger conger -. The conger eel can grow up to two meters of pure muscle.
- Morena - Muraena helena -, beautiful and dangerous fish with poisonous teeth.
Image of a brunette:
The fish that graze on the rocks
There are fish that feed on rocks, but they don't live on them. Below we list some species.
- Golden - Sparus aurata -. The sea bream eats the mussels attached to the rock.
- Oblada - Oblada melanura -, herbivorous fish that eats the algae that grow on submerged rocks.
- Sargo - Diplodus sargus -. There are other species of bream: the billed bream, royal bream, mojarra, and raspallón.
- Herrera - Lithognatus mormyrus -, also known as Mabra. The vast majority of these fish have a parasite in their mouths called "sea lice". This parasite often saves the life of the mabra, since it dislodges the fishermen's hooks out of the mouth. For this reason, among rod weighers, mabra is considered a difficult fish to catch.
- Salpa - Sarpa salpa -, a fish that grazes the algae on underwater rocks.
- Dentón - Dentex dentex -. This fish cracks with the powerful teeth that give it its name from the shells of oysters, clams and other bivalves on which it feeds.
- Pargo y Hurta - Pagrus pagrus and Pargus auriga -, fish that feed on shellfish: prawns, shrimps, crabs.
- Pajel - Pagellus erythrimus -. Beautiful fish that looks like pink silver.
Image of a sea bream:
Rockfish
There are fish that resemble the rocks where they live, hunting on the prowl camouflaged with their appearance and their static position. Below we show you the most common.
- Scorpora - Escorpaena nonata -. This fish camouflages itself from rock
- Scorpionfish - Escorpaena scrofa -. Like the scorpion, the scorpionfish camouflages itself with rocks and algae.
- Rascacio - Escorpaena porcus -. In the same way as its congeners, its perfect camouflage allows it to catch prey that passes by.
Image of a scorpion fish:
The inhabitants of the deep rocks
On the Deep rocks and far from the coast live various species of fish. These species are larger than coastal reef rock fish. Next we will show you the main ones.
- Group - Epinephelus marginatus -. The grouper is the king of the deep rocky areas. There are specimens that exceed 40 Kg. These large fish wear extraordinary and colorful liveries.
- Golden grouper - Epinephelus costae -. This grouper is somewhat smaller and its appearance is more sparse.
- Rock Forkbeard - Phycis phycis -. Very common fish that populates deep rocks. Its size is medium (25 - 30 cm.).
Sand fish between rocks
There are many species of fish that live in the sandy areas between rock masses Many of these fish burrow in the sand to catch the fish that circulate from one rock to another. The spider, the rat, the rock flounder, the common parsnip, or the turbot are some of the species, among many others, that feed in the vicinity of submerged rocks. But we will talk about these interesting species in another article.
