Scientific name : Diplodus vulgaris

 

Family : Sparidae
Size : Up to 45 cm
Distribution : Mediterranean and West African coasts

 

Biology : They are said to be successive hermaphrodites, meaning that they change sex during their lifetime. More precisely, they are known as protandrous hermaphrodites, as they start out as males and then transform into females.

 

IUCN status : Least concern

 

Scientific name : Pleuronectes platessa

 

Family : Pleuronectidae (halibut and dab, 62 species)
Size : Up to 60 cm
Distribution : Northern Europe

 

Biology : Plaice are highly recognisable flatfish with elegant orange spots. It also has a characteristic diamond shape.
Like its cousin the sole, it is a right-handed flatfish : on the top, it is its right side; on the bottom, it is its left side.
It feeds on worms, crustaceans and small fish.

 

IUCN status : Least concern

 

Scientific name : Capros aper

 

Family : Caproidae (boarfish, monospecific family)
Size : Up to 30 cm
Distribution : Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic coasts, from Morocco to Norway

 

Biology : The boarfish generally lives at depths of between 100 and 600 m, and is rarely seen at the surface. It is a micro-predator, feeding on small prey such as crustaceans and worms.

 

IUCN status : Least concern

 

Scientific name : Holothuria forskali

 

Phylum : Echinoderma (sea urchins, starfish, sea cucumbers…)
Size : Up to 40 cm
Distribution : Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic coasts, as far as the British Isles

 

Biology : Sea cucumbers are animals that are relatively close to sea urchins.
They play a very important ecological role : like earthworms, they swallow large quantities of sand, digest bacteria and organic matter, then release pure sand.
When it feels threatened, it expels filaments called Cuvier’s tubes, containing toxic substances.

 

IUCN status : Least concern

 

Scientific name : Dendrophyllia cornigera

 

Order : Scleractinia (hard corals)
Size : Colony measures up to 40 cm
Distribution : Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean

 

Biology : This coral is only found at great depths, generally between 100 and 1000 m below the surface. To feed, it captures particles such as animal plankton.
It is easy to see the individual polyps in the colony, as well as their crown of tentacles and the mouth in their centre.
Unfortunately, this coral is threatened by deep-water trawling.

 

IUCN status : Not assessed

 

Scientific name : Eunicella verrucosa

 

Family : Malacalcyonacea (gorgonians and soft corals)
Size : Up to 50 cm
Distribution : European coasts, from the British Isles to the Mediterranean Sea

 

Biology : Like corals, gorgonians are fixed animals living in colonies. The major difference between gorgonians and ordinary corals is that gorgonians do not build their skeleton from limestone, but from gorgine, a horn-like protein. The gorgonian is flexible, allowing it to bend with the currents. This also allows the gorgonian to form a very thin and delicate skeleton.

 

IUCN status : Vulnerable

 

Scientific name : Gaidropsarus vulgaris

 

Family : Gaidropsaridae (motelles, 17 species)
Size : Up to 60 cm
Distribution : European coasts and Mediterranean Sea

 

Biology : This ghostly fish spends most of its time hiding in crevices during the day and comes out at night to hunt. The motelle has three barbels that are useful for detecting its prey, such as crustaceans and worms. The motelle is a distant relative of the cod, pout and burbot.

 

IUCN status : Least concern

 

Scientific name : Cerianthus membranaceus

 

Family : Cerianthidae
Size : Up to 40 cm
Distribution : Mediterranean and Atlantic

 

Biology : You can find it in calm waters near sandy or muddy bottoms. It has difficulty withstanding direct exposure to the sun. It generally frequents the entrance to caves and sea grass beds.

 

Scientific name : Apogon imberbis

 

Family : Apogonidae (the apogons, 358 species)
Size : Up to 15 cm
Distribution : Mediterranean sea and North Africa

 

Biology : This fish is emblematic of the Mediterranean sea, and is a typical inhabitant of the coralligenous: shaded rocky bottoms populated by gorgonians, anemones and red corals.
In this species, the male incubates his eggs in his large mouth and expels the young when they are able to swim freely. Obviously, this method of incubation requires the male to fast throughout the incubation period, which lasts around a week.

 

IUCN status : Least concern

 

Scientific name : Muraena helena

 

Family : Muraenidae (moray eels, 207 species)
Size : Up to 150 cm
Distribution : Mediterranean Sea, but also on the Moroccan coast and in the Bay of Biscay

 

Biology : Many myths surround moray eels. It is said that they emerge from the sea at night to mate with vipers, or that in ancient times, slaves were thrown to the moray eels for show! These are all legends! The moray eel is a harmless animal, preferring to hide or flee in the face of danger.
It is a very important predator for the balance of the marine ecosystem. It feeds on fish and molluscs, mainly octopus.

 

IUCN status : Least concern