Sparidentex hasta, the sobaity seabream, is a species of marine fish in the seabream (or porgy) family, Sparidae. It is also known as the silver black porgy, the sobaity bream, or simply the sobaity.Samuel, M. and C.P. Mathews, 1987. Growth and mortality of four Acanthopagrus species. Kuwait Bull. Mar. Sci. 9:159–171.Hoese, D.F., D.J. Bray, J.R. Paxton and G.R. Allen, 2006. Fishes. In Beasley, O.L. and A. Wells (eds.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35 Australia: ABRS & CSIRO Publishing, 2178 p. Sobaity seabream are found in the Indian Ocean's Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf where they are commercially fished and farmed.
Description Commonly around in length, this species reaches a maximum length of .Bauchot, M.-L. and M.M. Smith, 1984. Sparidae. In W. Fischer and G. Bianchi (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean (Fishing Area 51). volume 4. [var. pag.] FAO, Rome. The dorsal fin of the sobaity seabream has 11 to 12 rays, while its anal fin usually has only 8.Sparidentex hasta Valenciennes, 1830 in Siddiqui P J, Amir S A, Masroor R, plazi (2014). The sparid fishes of Pakistan, with new distribution records. Plazi.org taxonomic treatments database. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3857.1.3 accessed via GBIF.org on 22 January 2022. There are 5.5 rows of scales between the first dorsal ray and the lateral line (which contains 47–48 pored scales), while there are 12.5 rows below the lateral line.
Distribution and habitat The sobaity seabream can be found in both marine and brackish waters at tropical latitudes in the Indian Ocean. It is generally demersal and can be found at depths up to . Sobaity seabream are especially known from coastal areas of the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and the western coast of the Indian subcontinent.
Sometime between 1975 and 1999, the sobaity seabream was accidentally introduced to the coastal waters of Australia. Individuals have been reported from the Swan River in Western Australia.FAO, 1997. FAO database on introduced aquatic species. FAO Database on Introduced Aquatic Species, FAO, Rome.
Diet The sobaity seabream, and other sparids of the Persian Gulf, feed on teleost fishes, arthropods such as crabs, shrimps, stomatopods, spiny lobsters, barnacles, amphipods, isopods and hermit crabs, and mollusks such gastropods, bivalves, and nudibranchs. Echinoderms, cephalopods, polychaete worms, and marine algae are also represented in the diet of these fishes.
Relationship with humans
S. hasta is fished commercially off the coasts of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, where these fish are usually sold fresh. It is considered to be of minor commercial importance, and reports of catches to the FAO began in 2000. Around this time, this species was also utilized in aquaculture in Bahrain, the UAE, and Kuwait.Emirates, U. A. (2005). United Arab Emirates Yearbook 2005. Ministry of Information and Culture. The fish is considered a delicacy in the Persian Gulf region, and dishes containing it are often associated with celebrations.
The sobaity seabream does not appear to be protected by any laws, though it is known to occur in protected areas. It has also been introduced to the eastern Indian Ocean near Oceania.Pollard, D.A., 1989. Introduced marine and estuarine fishes in Australia. p. 47-60. In D.A. Pollard. ed. Introduced and translocated fishes and their ecological effects. Proceedings of the Australian Society for Fish Biology Workshop No. 8. Magnetic Island. 24–25 August 1989. The cause of some of these introductions may be related to the release of ship ballast from vessels traveling from elsewhere in the Indian Ocean.Dianne J. Bray, Sparidentex hasta in Fishes of Australia, accessed 23 January 2022, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/680
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