Doublebar Seabream

Acanthopagrus bifasciatus, commonly known as the twobar seabream, is a marine ray-finned fish species within the Sparidae family, which includes sea breams and porgies. This species is indigenous to the northwestern 🌊 Indian Ocean.

Originally described as Chaetodon bifasciatus in 1775 by Peter Forsskål, a Finnish explorer, orientalist, and apostle of Carl Linnaeus, Acanthopagrus bifasciatus has its type locality documented in Jeddah, 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia. Forsskål's description was published posthumously in "Descriptiones animalium," edited by Carsten Niebuhr. Previously considered conspecific with A. catenula, these species are now differentiated, with the latter noted for distinct black margins on its fins. While some authorities categorize the genus Acanthopagrus under the subfamily Sparinae, the "Fishes of the World" (5th edition) does not acknowledge subfamilies under Sparidae.

The species name "bifasciatus" signifies "two-banded," referencing the species' two dark head bands. Morphologically, Acanthopagrus bifasciatus features 11 spines and between 12 and 15 soft rays supporting its dorsal fin, while the anal fin is reinforced by 3 spines and 10 or 11 soft rays. The body is compressed and rather deep, with the depth fitting into its standard length approximately 2.4 to 2.6 times. Its head profile is straight from the snout to just past the eyes, then slightly humped leading to the dorsal fin's origin. The body exhibits a silvery hue, often with a black spot on each scale. Two distinct dusky bars mark the head, with one extending from the occipital across the eye and cheek, and the other from the nape over the operculum. The pectoral, dorsal, and caudal fins are light yellow, with the spiny section of the dorsal fin displaying more pronounced yellow near the margin. The caudal fin may sometimes possess a thin black outline, and the species can attain a standard length of approximately 60 cm (24 in).

Geographically, Acanthopagrus bifasciatus is confined to the northwestern 🌊 Indian Ocean, inhabiting areas between the 🌊 Red Sea around the Arabian Peninsula to the 🌊 Persian Gulf and extending east to 🇵🇰 Pakistan. There have been three Mediterranean records, assumed to be ship-transported, from 🇹🇳 Tunisia (2010), 🇪🇸 Barcelona (2019), and the 🌊 Aegean Sea near 🇹🇷 Turkey. The twobar seabream typically dwells on reefs in shallow waters, at depths ranging from 2 to 30 meters (6 ft 7 in to 98 ft 5 in).

Dietarily, Acanthopagrus bifasciatus predominantly consumes molluscs and other benthic invertebrates, often found in small schools. It is hypothesized to be a protogynous hermaphrodite, with populations showing a female-biased sex ratio. Spawning occurs from January to April in the 🌊 Persian Gulf.

While Acanthopagrus bifasciatus is not heavily fished, it is caught using various methods including longlines, handlines, stake nets, trawling, and fish traps. In the southern 🌊 Persian Gulf, the species is frequently captured with dome-shaped wire traps featuring hexagonal meshes approximately 35 mm (1.4 in) in diameter, deployed either singularly or in strings by fiberglass dories or traditional wooden dhows. This species is exported from 🇴🇲 Oman to 🇰🇷 South Korea.