The common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) is a fish of the sea bream family, Sparidae. It is a popular food fish in Mediterranean countries, with delicate white flesh. It has a slim, oval fusiform body, with a smallish mouth and scales covering its face. The eyes are smaller than those of Pagellus bogaraveo and Pagellus acarne. It is silver in colour with a pink tinge, particularly on its back. A typical specimen measures 10–30 cm, but it can reach as much as 50 cm in length. The common pandora is a hermaphrodite, spending the first two years of its life as a female, and the third year as a male. It is omnivorous, but mainly feeds on smaller fish and benthic invertebrates. As most fishes, the common pandora harbours a variety of parasites; for example, the nematode Philometra filiformis is a parasite of the ovary of this fish. Distribution The fish is found along the eastern shores of the Atlantic Ocean, from Scandinavia to Cape Verde, as well as the Mediterranean and the North Sea. In terms of genetic diversity, there appears to be a high level of connectivity from the Atlantic through the Mediterranean. References External links Pagellus Fish of the East Atlantic Fish of the North Sea Fish of the Mediterranean Sea Marine fish of Europe Marine fauna of North Africa Fish described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus