Common dentex (Dentex dentex)

Scientific name: Dentex dentex Linnaeus, 1758

The Common dentex (Dentex dentex) is a marine fish of the family Sparidae.

Biology

Inhabit hard bottoms (rock or rubble) down to 200 m depth. Usually found in shallow water less than 50 m deep. Adults solitary; young gregarious. Young fish caught with traps. Feed on fish, mollusks and cephalopods. Important food fish. Marketed fresh or frozen. Some attempts to culture this species have been successful. Due to low market supply, the potential for selling these fish from aquaculture operations seems to be good. A spear-fisherman cites a specimen caught in Greece (Corfu) with an overnight bottom-line about 1.60 m and 42 kg, but the identification cannot be verified.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Dentex dentex
Family: Sparidae (Porgies)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 100.0
Common length: 50.0
Depth range: 0–200 m (0–656 ft)
Environment: Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 0 - 200 m, usually 15 - 50 m
Climate: Subtropical
Distribution: Eastern Atlantic: British Isles to Cape Blanc, Mauritania; (exceptionally further south) Senegal and around the Canary Islands and Madeira. Common south of 40?N (Spain, North Africa) in the Mediterranean.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.1; tm=2-3)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026