View source for Gilt-head bream

{{Short description|Mediterranean fish}}
{{Redirect|Orata|the ancient Roman of this name|Sergius Orata}}
{{Redirect|Dorade|the yacht|Dorade (yacht)}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Sparus aurata, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, FR imported from iNaturalist photo 207799710.jpg
| image2 = 
| image_caption = In [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur|PACA]], France
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name = iucn>{{cite iucn |author=Russell, B. |author2=Carpenter, K.E.|author2-link=Kent E. Carpenter |author3=Pollard, D.|name-list-style=& |date=2014 |title=''Sparus aurata'' |page=e.T170253A1302459 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T170253A1302459.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| taxon = Sparus aurata
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| synonyms = {{Specieslist
| Aurata aurata | (Linnaeus, 1758)
| Chrysophrys aurata | (Linnaeus, 1758)
| Pagrus auratus | (Linnaeus, 1758)
| Chrysophrys crassirostris | [[Achille Valenciennes|Valenciennes]], 1830
}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref name = Fishbase>{{FishBase|Sparus|aurata|month=October|year=2023}}</ref>
| range_map = Sparus aurata mapa.svg
| range_map_caption = 
}}
The '''gilt-head bream''' ('''''Sparus aurata'''''), also known as the '''gilthead''', '''dourade''', '''gilt-head seabream''' or '''silver seabream''', is a species of marine [[Actinopterygii|ray-finned fish]] belonging to the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Sparidae]], the seabreams or porgies. This fish is found in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. It is a highly esteemed food fish and an important species in aquaculture.

==Taxonomy==
The gilt-head bream was first formally [[Species description|described]] in 1758 by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'']] with its type locality given as the Mediterranean and Venezuela (although this has now been shown to be a specimen of ''[[Calamus (fish)|Calamus]]'').<ref name = CofF>{{Cof family|family=Sparidae|access-date=19 February 2024}}</ref> It is the only species in the [[monospecific genus]] ''Sparus''.<ref name = CofF2>{{Cof genus|genus=Sparus|access-date=19 February 2024}}</ref> The genus ''Sparus'' is placed in the family Sparidae within the [[Order (biology)|order]] [[Spariformes]] by the 5th edition of ''[[Fishes of the World]]''.<ref name = Nelson5>{{cite book |author1=Nelson, J.S. |author1-link=Joseph S. Nelson |author2=Grande, T.C. |author3=Wilson, M.V.H. |year=2016 |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |place=Hoboken, NJ |pages=502–506 |isbn=978-1-118-34233-6 |lccn=2015037522 |oclc=951899884 |ol=25909650M |doi=10.1002/9781119174844}}</ref> Some authorities classify this genus in the subfamily Sparinae,<ref name = Parenti>{{cite journal |author= Parenti, P. |year=2019 |title=An annotated checklist of the fishes of the family Sparidae |journal=FishTaxa |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=47–98 |url= https://fishtaxa.com/menuscript/index.php/ft/article/view/49/52}}</ref> but the 5th edition of ''Fishes of the World'' does not recognise subfamilies within the Sparidae.<ref name = Nelson5/>

==Etymology==
The gilt-head bream has the genus name ''Sparus'' which derives from ''sparos'' and [[Ancient Greek]] name for this species. The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]], ''aurata'', means "gold", an allusion to the gold band on the intraorbital part of the head.<ref name = ETYFish>{{cite web |url=https://etyfish.org/acanthuriformes6/ |title=Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 6): Families GERREIDAE, LETHRINIDAE, NEMIPTERIDAE and SPARIDAE |date=12 January 2024 |access-date=19 February 2024 |author=Christopher Scharpf |work=The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database |publisher=Christopher Scharpf}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
The gilt-head bream is found in the northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean from Great Britain and Ireland to possibly as far south as Senegal, including the [[Canary Islands]]. It is found around Madeira but these are escapes from [[aquaculture]]. It also occurs throughout the Mediterranean and in the southern and western parts of the [[Black Sea]].<ref name="iucn" /> 

This species is found over sandy substrates and in [[seagrass]] beds at depths between {{cvt|1|and|150|m}}, with adults in deeper waters than juveniles, the young fish typically going no deeper than  {{cvt|30|m}}.<ref name="Fishbase" /> It is a euryhaline species that will enter brackish waters.<ref name="iucn" />

==Description==
{{Multi image
| image1            = Sparus aurata, 3VPP 8P, Marsa Ben M'Hidi, Algérie imported from iNaturalist photo 267785627.jpg
| image2            = Sparus aurata, 58100 Grosseto GR, Italia imported from iNaturalist photo 218728149 (cropped).jpg
| align             = center
| total_width       = 550
| caption1          = In [[Tlemcen]], [[Algeria]]
| caption2          = In [[Toscana]], [[Italy]]
}}
The gilt-head bream has a deep body, with a large, deep head which has its relatively small eyes placed high on the head. The diameter of the eyes is shorter than the length of the snout. The cheeks are deep and covered in scales but the [[preoperculum]] has no scales, although the [[Operculum (fish)|operculum]] is scaled. It has a long-based [[dorsal fin]] which is supported by 11 robust spines and 13 or 14 branched soft rays. The [[anal fin]] is short based and is held up by three spines and 11 or 12 branched soft rays. It has large and robust teeth in the jaws with four to six large, pointed canine-like teeth in the front the jaws with 2 to 4 rows of blunt, round teeth laterally. It has a blue-grey back, the sides are silvery with a large dark spot behind the eye, it is red along the margin of the operculum and there is a golden bar on the head between the eyes.<ref name = Wheeler>{{cite book |author=Alwynne Wheeler |author-link=Alwynne Cooper Wheeler |year=1992 |title=The Pocket Guide to Saltwater Fishes of Britain and Europe |page=103 |publisher=Parkgate Books |isbn=1855853647}}</ref> 

This species has a maximum [[total length]] of {{cvt|70|cm}}, although a standard length of {{cvt|35|cm}} is more typical, and a maximum published weight of {{cvt|17.2|kg}}.<ref name="Fishbase" />

==Biology==
[[File:SardinianFish.jpg|thumb|250px|left|In [[Stintino]], Italy]]

The gilt-head bream feeds mainly on [[shellfish]], but also some plant material.<ref name = Fishbase/>

Gilt-head bream are [[protandrous]] sequential hermaphrodites, maturing as males by age 2, before some develop ovaries and lose their testes in later life.<ref name=Pauletto2018/>

The genome of the species was released in 2018, where the authors detected fast evolution of ovary-biased genes likely resulting from the peculiar reproduction mode of the species.<ref name=Pauletto2018>{{Cite journal|last1=Pauletto|first1=Marianna|last2=Manousaki|first2=Tereza|last3=Ferraresso|first3=Serena|last4=Babbucci|first4=Massimiliano|last5=Tsakogiannis|first5=Alexandros|last6=Louro|first6=Bruno|last7=Vitulo|first7=Nicola|last8=Quoc|first8=Viet Ha|last9=Carraro|first9=Roberta|date=2018-08-17|title=Genomic analysis of ''Sparus aurata'' reveals the evolutionary dynamics of sex-biased genes in a sequential hermaphrodite fish|journal=[[Communications Biology]]|publisher=[[Nature Portfolio]]|language=En|volume=1|issue=1|doi=10.1038/s42003-018-0122-7|issn=2399-3642|pmid=30271999|pmc=6123679|page=119}}</ref>
{{Clear left}}

==Fisheries and aquaculture==
[[File:Gilthead seabream total production thousand tonnes 1960-2022.svg|thumb|[[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]] report of capture (blue) and aquaculture (green) production of ''S. aurata'' in thousand tonnes from 1960 to 2022. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Fisheries and Aquaculture - Global Production |url=https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/collection/global_production?lang=en |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)}}</ref>]]
[[File:Sparus aurata, Madeira, Portugal imported from iNaturalist photo 261066732.jpg|thumb|Gilt-head bream in [[Madeira]], Portugal]]
Gilthead seabream is an esteemed food fish, but catches of wild fish have been relatively modest, between {{convert|6,100 and 9,600|MT}} in 2000–2009, primarily from the Mediterranean.<ref name=FAO>{{Cite book
| publisher = [[FAO]]
| author = FAO ([[Food and Agriculture Organization]] of the United Nations)
| title = Yearbook of fishery and aquaculture statistics 2009. Capture production
| location = [[Rome]]
| year = 2011
| url = ftp://ftp.fao.org/FI/CDrom/CD_yearbook_2009/root/capture/yearbook_capture.pdf
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170519070831/ftp://ftp.fao.org/FI/CDrom/CD_yearbook_2009/root/capture/yearbook_capture.pdf
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 2017-05-19
| page = 163
}}</ref> In addition, gilthead seabream have traditionally been cultured extensively in coastal lagoons and saltwater ponds. However, intensive rearing systems were developed during the 1980s, and gilthead seabream has become an important [[aquaculture]] species, primarily in the Mediterranean area and [[Portugal]]. Reported production was negligible until the late 1980s, but reached {{convert|140,000|MT}} in 2010, thus dwarfing the capture fisheries production.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Sparus_aurata/en |title=''Sparus aurata'' (Linnaeus, 1758) |work=Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme |publisher=[[FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department]] |access-date=22 September 2012}}</ref> Turkey is the biggest seabream producer in the world, followed by Greece.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.fao.org/publications/home/fao-flagship-publications/the-state-of-world-fisheries-and-aquaculture/2022/en |title=The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture |access-date=2023-05-12 |archive-date=2024-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204123431/https://www.fao.org/publications/home/fao-flagship-publications/the-state-of-world-fisheries-and-aquaculture/2022/en |url-status=dead }}</ref>

One of the biggest challenges facing the sea bream aquaculture industry is the frequency of skeletal abnormalities.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Boglione |first1=Clara |last2=Gisbert |first2=Enric |last3=Gavaia |first3=Paulo |last4=E. Witten |first4=Paul |last5=Moren |first5=Mori |last6=Fontagné |first6=Stéphanie |last7=Koumoundouros |first7=Giorgos |date=May 2013 |title=Skeletal anomalies in reared E uropean fish larvae and juveniles. Part 2: main typologies, occurrences and causative factors |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/raq.12016 |journal=Reviews in Aquaculture |language=en |volume=5 |issue=s1 |doi=10.1111/raq.12016 |bibcode=2013RvAq....5..121B |issn=|hdl=10400.1/11709 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> This is caused by factors such as high stocking density during larval rearing.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dellacqua |first1=Zachary |last2=Di Biagio |first2=Claudia |last3=Martini |first3=Arianna |last4=Mattei |first4=Francesco |last5=Rakaj |first5=Arnold |last6=Williams |first6=James C. |last7=Fabris |first7=Andrea |last8=Izquierdo |first8=Marisol |last9=Boglione |first9=Clara |date=April 2024 |title=Skeletal anomalies in gilthead seabream ( Sparus aurata ) larvae reared in different densities and water volumes |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jwas.13056 |journal=Journal of the World Aquaculture Society |language=en |volume=55 |issue=2 |doi=10.1111/jwas.13056 |bibcode=2024JWAS...55E3056D |issn=0893-8849|hdl=10553/130566 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>   

Gilthead seabreams in aquaculture are susceptible to parasitic infections, including from ''[[Enterospora nucleophila]]''.<ref name="Emaciative-Syndrome">{{Cite journal|year=2021|last1=Han|first1=Bing|last2=Pan|first2=Guoqing|last3=Weiss|first3=Louis M.|title=Microsporidiosis in Humans|journal=[[Clinical Microbiology Reviews]]|publisher=[[American Society for Microbiology]] (ASM)|volume=34|issue=4|pages=e00010-20 |issn=0893-8512|doi=10.1128/cmr.00010-20|pmid=34190570 |pmc=8404701}}</ref><ref>
{{Cite journal|year=2014|publisher=[[Elsevier BV]]|last1=Palenzuela|first1=Oswaldo|last2=Redondo|first2=María José|last3=Cali|first3=Ann|last4=Takvorian|first4=Peter M.|last5=Alonso-Naveiro|first5=María|last6=Alvarez-Pellitero|first6=Pilar|last7=Sitjà-Bobadilla|first7=Ariadna|title=A new intranuclear microsporidium, ''Enterospora nucleophila'' n. sp., causing an emaciative syndrome in a piscine host (''Sparus aurata''), prompts the redescription of the family Enterocytozoonidae|id=[[Australian Society for Parasitology]]|journal=[[International Journal for Parasitology]]|volume=44|issue=3–4|issn=0020-7519|doi=10.1016/j.ijpara.2013.10.005|pages=189–203|pmid=24326177 }}</ref>

==Culinary use==
[[Image:Bronzini eataly.png|alt=Cooked gilt-head bream|thumb|[[Butterflying|Butterflied]] gilt-head bream in [[New York City|NYC]]]]The gilt-head bream is considered to be the most esteemed seabream for culinary purposes, especially in Southern Europe where the mild and sweet flavour of the flesh, which breaks into small flakes, is popular.<ref name = gofish>{{cite web |url=https://www.gofish.co.uk/whole-gilt-head-bream.html |title=Whole Gilt Head Bream (400-600g) |access-date=19 February 2024 |publisher=Gofish.co.uk}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Acanthopagrus]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* [[Alan Davidson (food writer)|Alan Davidson]], ''Mediterranean Seafood'', [[Penguin Publishing|Penguin]], 1972. {{ISBN|0-14-046174-4}}, pp.&nbsp;86–108.

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Sparus aurata|''Sparus aurata''}}
* {{SealifePhotos|151523}}

{{Commercial fish topics}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q237046}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sparidae|gilt-head bream]]
[[Category:Commercial fish]]
[[Category:Fish of Europe]]
[[Category:Fish of the Mediterranean Sea]]
[[Category:Fish of the North Sea]]
[[Category:Fish described in 1758|gilt-head bream]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus|gilt-head bream]]