Ringel bream
Diplodus annularis
Risk of confusion
Band bream 
(Oblada melanura)
habitat
Special features
Marigold bream is the smallest of the sea breams and takes its species name from the Latin “annulus”, which means “ring.”
There is a wide black spot on the long tail stem, which makes it look as if the animal has been pulled off here.
Band bream also has this characteristic, but unlike it, marigold bream is usually slightly yellow in color and its ventral and anal fins are always yellow to orange.
appearance
Ring breams have an oval body that is laterally flattened and a long tail stem with a black spot.
They are covered by large, shimmering scales. The dorsal fin is heavily jagged thanks to the pointed stinging rays.
The equally pointed mouth is covered with small teeth. This species has a maximum body length of 28 cm and is usually only 13 cm long.
Natural enemies
Predatory fish
Dangerous/Toxic
Ringed bream is neither dangerous nor poisonous.
sketch
1. Black, ring-shaped spot
Pro tips
Marigold bream is found in small groups over a wide variety of sea beds, but is preferred on seagrass beds.
Although they are often found on the coastlines of the Mediterranean Sea, they are very shy and tend to avoid divers and boats.
A special feature of this species is that even the larvae already show the characteristic black dot on the caudal fin stalk. Adult ringbreams are carnivores and prefer to eat small invertebrates such as crabs, worms, echinoderms and snails. These often have hard shells. Therefore, ringbream has very strong jaws so that it can chew it up.
The reproduction period depends on the water temperature: the warmer, the better, as this is how the larvae develop better. Since this can be very different from region to region, spawning times are also different depending on the location. As soon as the animals are one year old and about 10 cm long, they are sexually mature. Ringworm breams are either male or female.
Photos: DiveDict
Text: Pia Balaka, Carolina Leiter, Felix Hosp
Illustration: Sabine Probst
Text: Carolina Leiter
Pic: Dive Dict
Illustration: Dive Dict
