Sheepshead, Sheepshead seabream, Convict fish
Archosargus probatocephalus, the sheepshead, sheepshead seabream or convict fish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, the seabreams and porgies. This species is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean. The sheepshead is an important species to recreational and commercial fisheries.
Archosargus probatocephalus has a specific name which compounds probaton, meaning "sheep", with cephalus, which means "head", reflecting its common name, sheepshead, which it was most likely given because of some sheep-like features, such as having large teeth protruding from an open mouth.
Archosargus probatocephalus has an oval shaped, deep, laterally compressed body with a small blunt head, the dorsal and ventral profiles of the head being convex. It has moderately sized eyes, a small horizontal mouth and the preorbital bone overlaps the rear of the maxilla. The teeth at the front of the jaw are broad and flattened, the upper jaw has three rows of molar-like teeth at the sides. The margin of the preoperculum is smooth, with no serrations or spines. The dorsal fin is long and not high and is supported by 12 spines, the front spine points towards the front and may be embedded, and 11 soft rays. The anal fin contains 3 spines, the second spine being very robust, and 9 or 10 soft rays. The pectoral fin is long, clearly greater in length than the pelvic fins, extending to the level of the middle spine of the anal fin. The caudal fin is forked. The adults are silvery to greenish-yellow with olive on the upper body. Along the flanks there are 5 or 6 dark vertical bars, these fade with age. The caudal and pectoral fins are greenish in colour while the dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins are dark. The sheepshead reaches a maximum published total length of 91 cm (36 in), although 35 cm (14 in) is more typical.
Archosargus probatocephalus is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean where it ranges from Nova Scotia to Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. It mainly occurs in coastal waters in the vicinity of rock pilings, jetties, mangrove roots, and piers, also in tidal creeks. It is euryhaline and shows a preference for brackish waters. It looks for warmer spots around springs and discharges of rivers and will occasionally enter freshwater in the winter.
Archosargus probatocephalus is an omnivore, the larger juveniles and adults are predators of blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), oysters, clams, crustaceans, and small fish with the young Atlantic croakers (Micropogonias undulatus) The large flattened teeth are used to crush prey protected by shells or armor as well as to scrape barnacles off rocks and pilings. Juveniles feed on zooplankton, polychaetes, and chironomid larvae.
Populations of this fish in the Atlantic waters off the southern United States spawn mainly in the early spring, however, pelagic larvae have been observed in late winter and Spring in the Gulf of Mexico. Adults move to farther offshore to spawn, moving back to coastal waters and estuaries. The juveniles are most numerous in beds and over mud substrates, once they grow to a length of around 50 mm (2.0 in), they leave the sea grass beds and aggregate with the adults.
