Comber (fish)

The comber has a relatively stout body with a large head and a prominent jaw. It has two dorsal fins, the first has 11 thin spines and is joined to the second, which has 13–15 branched rays. The anal fin has 3 spines and 7–8 soft rays. The caudal fin is slightly truncate in shape. The colouration of the comber varies from light brown to dark brown to an intense reddish brown. It is marked with 7 to 9 darker transverse bands along its flanks, these are broken by a longitudinal white to yellowish stripe, running from the head to the tail. There are a few yellow or orange longitudinal lines on the sides of the head. The comber can reach a standard length of but fish are more common. ==Distribution==

The comber has an extensive distribution in the eastern Atlantic where it is found in the warmer waters in the south and southwest of England and off western Wales, ==Habitat and biology==

The comber occurs over the continental shelf and upper continental slope among rocks, Posidonia beds, and where there are substrates of sand and mud. Elsewhere their diet has been recorded as very varied and includes small and immature fish, annelids, squid and they have also been recorded scavenging on dead marine animals. The comber is a solitary and territorial species. They spawn between May and July, and are hermaphrodites, mature fish having both ovaries and testes. They are capable of being either male or female, and there are known to have been instances of self-fertilisation where fish have been unable to locate a partner for spawning. Sexual maturity is attained when the fish reaches a length of . ==Fisheries==

The comber is of low commercial value, approximately 1,000 tons are landed from European waters. It is eaten as well as being processed for fishmeal. ==References==