Fish
Painted Comber
Serranus scriba
Perched on a rock in a Mediterranean seagrass meadow, a painted comber watches for prey, its barred body marked with blue lines like a brush stroke.
Overview
The painted comber, Serranus scriba, is a Least Concern sea bass of rocky ground and seagrass beds across the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. Its bold bars, blue markings, and hermaphrodite breeding make it one of the most colourful small predators of Mediterranean reefs.
A fish that takes turns
Because every painted comber is both male and female at once, a pair can swap roles as they spawn, each fish releasing eggs and sperm in turn.
Status
Least Concern, widespread and common.
Painted Comber: common questions
Is the painted comber male or female?
Each fish has both male and female reproductive organs at the same time, and a pair can take turns acting as male and female when they spawn.
Is the painted comber related to groupers?
Yes, it belongs to the sea bass and grouper family, and is a small, stocky relative of the groupers.
What does the painted comber eat?
It eats small fish, crabs, shrimps, and other small animals, which it ambushes from cover.
Where is the painted comber found?
It lives on rocky ground and seagrass beds of the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, and the eastern Atlantic.