An inter-tropical species belonging to the community of Sparidae. It is a jaw-filled canker with 4 to 6 strong anterior canines and 2 lateral rows of molariform teeth. The first 2 spines of the dorsal fin are very short, the third, fourth and fifth are tapered and much longer than the following, especially in the young. The body is pink without dark transverse bands and, on the living, the dorsal region is studded with bright blue dots. Young people are generally more coastal than adults. It is a species found from the coast (20 m depth) to the edge of the continental shelf (200m) on the sandy-muddy or rocky bottom. The species is common from Portugal to Angola and exists in the Mediterranean. This species lives preferentially in cold waters; its bathymetric distribution varies between 10 to 80 m according to the temperature. Most of the catch is taken by the artisanal fleet.

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