picarel
Spicara smaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Spicara smaris photographed in Tuscany (Italy). Photo by Stefano Guerrieri.
Etrusko25 · Public domain · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Spicara smaris, one of the picarels, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, the seabreams and porgies. This species is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. It grows to a maximum length of about 20 cm (8 in); females are usually smaller than males.
Wikipedia contributors, Spicara smaris; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:30:22.506899+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Spicara smaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- picarel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Family
- Sparidae
- Genus
- Spicara
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- familySparidae Rafinesque, 1818
- genusSpicara Rafinesque, 1810
- speciesSpicara smaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Spicara. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| picarelSpicara maena (Linnaeus, 1758) | SparidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Spicara martinicum (Valenciennes, 1830) | SparidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Spicara nigricauda (Norman, 1931) | SparidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Spicara australe (Regan, 1921) | SparidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Spicara flexuosum Rafinesque, 1810 | SparidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Spicara altum (Osório, 1917) | SparidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Spicara axillare (Boulenger, 1900) | SparidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Spicara melanurus (Valenciennes, 1830) | SparidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Maena smaris (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Smaris maurii Bonaparte, 1836 Bonaparte, 1836 | synonym |
| Smaris smaris (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Sparus alcedo Risso, 1810 Risso, 1810 | synonym |
| Sparus smaris Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Spicara alcedo (Risso, 1810) (Risso, 1810) | synonym |
| Smaris gracilis Bonaparte, 1836 Bonaparte, 1836 | synonym |
| Smaris vulgaris Valenciennes, 1830 Valenciennes, 1830 | synonym |
| Smaris alcedo (Risso, 1810) (Risso, 1810) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=126830 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4Z2XP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.