Sheepshead Porgy, Calamus penna

Sheepshead Porgy, Calamus penna. Fish caught from coastal waters off Big Pine Key, Florida, February 2017. Length: 12.7 cm (5.0 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Marc Eberlein, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Sheepshead Porgy, Calamus penna. Fish caught from coastal waters off Marathon, Florida, July 2018. Length: 18 cm (7.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).

Sheepshead Porgy, Calamus penna. Fish caught from coastal waters off Key Largo, Florida. Length: 26 cm (10 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Josh Leisen (joshadventures.com), Gaylord, Michigan.

Sheepshead Porgy, Calamus penna. Fish caught off coastal waters off Alexander Springs, Florida, April 2019. Length: 27 cm (11 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Sheepshead Porgy, Calamus penna. Fish caught from coastal waters off Sebastian, Florida, November 2021. Length: 28 cm (11 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Sebastian, Florida.

The Sheepshead Porgy, Calamus penna, is a member of the Porgy or Sparidae Family, and  known in Mexico as pluma manchada. Their common name is derived from their teeth resembling those found in sheep. Globally, there are thirteen species in the genus Calamus, of which nine found in Mexican waters, eight in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific Ocean.

The Sheepshead Porgy is characterized by their “porgy-like” laterally compressed relatively thin body that has a depth that is 40% to 42% of standard length and is deepest at the base of the beginning of the dorsal fin. Overall they have a silvery coloration with iridescent blue, lavender, and yellow reflections. They have approximately 7 dark bars on their sides which fade quickly upon death. They have a dark brown bar under their eyes and most fish also have a blue-gray line under their eyes. They have a small black spot at the base of their pectoral fin. Their head has no blue, orange or yellow markings. Their head is deep and evenly convex, and lacks a steep upper profile. They have a blunt snout with a moderately large mouth that reaches under the front edge of their eyes. They are equipped with molar teeth on the sides of each jaw and equal sized canines at the front of each jaw that are used to crush hard shell prey. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 10 or 11 rays and has a short base; their caudal fin is forked; their dorsal fin has 12 or 13 spines and 12 rays and is low; and, their pectoral fins are short just reaching to the anal fin origin.

The Sheepshead Porgy is a common coastal species and are abundant throughout most of their range. They are found over hard bottoms, within ledges and caves, within coral reefs and associated gravel, and in grass and sand areas along the outer continental shelf at depths up to 91 m  (300 feet). Juveniles are found within seagrass beds (Thalassia). They reach a maximum of 46 cm (18 inches) in length, with typical fish being approximately 28 cm (11 inches), and they can weigh up to 1.0 kg (2 lbs 2 oz). As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 3.95 kg (8 lbs 11 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters of Brazil in January 2007. They are bottom dwellers that feed primarily on invertebrates including barnacles, crabs, mollusks, polychaetes, sea stars, and sea urchins. They are protogynous hermaphrodites with all fish starting out as females and changing to males at midlife. Each female releases thousands of eggs which are fertilized externally by males then become pelagic.

The Sheepshead Porgy is very similar in shape to seven other Porgies found in Mexican waters of the Atlantic, however, it is the only Porgy with a significant barring pattern on its sides. It is often confused with its namesake, the Sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus, which is also from the Porgy Family but has an oval fusiform body profile.

The Sheepshead Porgy is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

From a conservation perspective the Sheepshead Porgy is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Their fishery is unregulated in most parts of their range (except for coastal waters of the southeast United States). It is generally believed that landings as well as their body length have decreased over the last ten years, although these findings have been poorly documented. They are subject to habitat destruction and overfishing in some parts of their range. They are caught primarily as a by-catch of grouper and shrimp fisheries by hook and line, longlines, bottom trawls, and fish traps. They are considered to be an excellent food fish and marketed both fresh and frozen, however, there are reports that they contain ciguatoxin. They are also targeted by recreational fishermen.