PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Sparidae

Osteichthyes - Spariformes - Sparidae

Taxonomy

Sparoidei was named by Cuvier (1817). It is extant.

It was corrected as Sparidae by David (1943), Jordan (1963), Casier (1966), Danil'chenko (1980), Gaemers (1984), Nolf and Dockery (1993), Weems (1999), Mors et al. (2000), Purdy et al. (2001), Day (2002), Schwarzhans (2003), Schwarzhans and Bratischko (2011), Fierstine et al. (2012), Betancur et al. (2013), Carnevale et al. (2014), Bannikov (2014), Szabo et al. (2017), Cicimurri et al. (2022), Cicimurri et al. (2025).

It was assigned to Kurtiformes by Jordan (1963); to Percoidea by David (1943), Casier (1966); to Beryciformes by Nolf and Dockery (1993); to Sparoidea by Day (2002); to Percoidei by Schwarzhans (2003), Schwarzhans and Bratischko (2011), Fierstine et al. (2012), Bannikov (2014); to Perciformes by Danil'chenko (1980), Gaemers (1984), Weems (1999), Mors et al. (2000), Purdy et al. (2001), Carnevale et al. (2014), Szabo et al. (2017); and to Spariformes by Betancur et al. (2013), Cicimurri et al. (2022), Cicimurri et al. (2025).

Subtaxa

Abromasta, Denticinae, Dentinae, Diplodus, Ellaserrata, Plectrites, Pseudosparnodus, Rythmias, Sargus, Sciaenurus, Sparidarum, Sparnodus, Sparus

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1943	Sparidae David p. 27
1963	Sparidae Jordan p. 697
1966	Sparidae Casier p. 197
1980	Sparidae Danil'chenko p. 136
1984	Sparidae Gaemers p. 4042
1993	Sparidae Nolf and Dockery p. 34
1999	Sparidae Weems p. 62
2000	Sparidae Mors et al. p. 151
2001	Sparidae Purdy et al. p. 173
2002	Sparidae Day p. 335
2003	Sparidae Schwarzhans p. 85
2011	Sparidae Schwarzhans and Bratischko p. 103
2012	Sparidae Fierstine et al. p. 120
2013	Sparidae Betancur et al.
2014	Sparidae Bannikov p. 28
2014	Sparidae Carnevale et al. p. 43
2017	Sparidae Szabo et al.
2022	Sparidae Cicimurri et al.
2025	Sparidae Cicimurri et al. p. 95

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
class	Osteichthyes
subclass	Actinopterygii	()

Rank	Name	Author
infraclass	Actinopteri	()
—	Teleosteomorpha
—	Acanthopterygii
—	Percomorphaceae
—	Eupercaria	Betancur et al. 2013
order	Spariformes
family	Sparidae	(Cuvier 1817)
family	Sparidae	(Cuvier 1817)

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Fm. Sparidae Cuvier 1817

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G. †Abromasta Day 2002

†Abromasta microdon Agassiz 1839

Subfm. †Dentinae

G. †Podocephalus Agassiz 1843

†Podocephalus curryi Casier 1966

†Podocephalus nitidus Casier 1966

G. †Sciaenuropsis Casier 1966

†Sciaenuropsis turneri Casier 1966

G. Diplodus Rafinesque 1810

Diplodus annularis Linnaeus 1758

†Diplodus jamnitanus Valenciennes 1844

†Diplodus jomnitanus Valencienes 1844

†Diplodus karrerae Nolf and Steurbaut 1979

G. †Ellaserrata Day 2002

†Ellaserrata monksi Day 2002

Subg. Otolithus (Chrysophris) Cuvier 1829

†Chrysophris doederleini Bassoli and Schubert 1906

†Chrysophris hennii Van Beneden 1871

†Chrysophris miolankae Deraniyagala 1969

†Chrysophrys blanckenhorni Bohm 1926

†Chrysophrys brevis Lednev 1914

†Chrysophrys diatomaceus Bogatshov 1942

†Chrysophrys honi Leriche 1926

G. †Plectrites Jordan and Gilbert 1920

†Plectrites classeni Jordan and Gilbert 1920

G. †Pseudosparnodus Day 2002

†Pseudosparnodus microstomus Agassiz 1835

G. †Rythmias Jordan and Gilbert 1920

†Rythmias starri Jordan and Gilbert 1920

G. Sargus Walbaum 1792

†Sargus cuvieri Agassiz 1839

†Sargus laticonus Davis 1888

†Sargus oranensis Woodward 1901

G. †Sciaenurus Agassiz 1843

†Sciaenurus bowerbanki Agassiz 1845

G. †Sparidarum Bonaparte 1832

†Sparidarum crescens Frost 1925

†Sparidarum doderleini Bassoli 1906

†Sparidarum elongatus Priem 1906

†Sparidarum frosti Vorstman 1927

†Sparidarum gautieri Steurbaut 1984

†Sparidarum gregarius Koken 1891

†Sparidarum pectinoides Stinton and Nolf 1970

G. †Sparnodus Agassiz 1835

†Sparnodus altivelis Agassiz 1835

†Sparnodus elongatus Agassiz 1835

†Sparnodus eotauricus Bogatshov 1965

†Sparnodus macrophthalmus Agassiz 1835

†Sparnodus micracanthus Agassiz 1839

†Sparnodus ovalis Agassiz 1835

†Sparnodus vulgaris de Blainville 1818

G. Sparus Linnaeus 1758

†Sparus brusinai Kramberger 1882

†Sparus caraibaeus Casier 1958

†Sparus cinctus Agassiz 1843

†Sparus compactus Arambourg 1927

†Sparus elegantulus Koken 1888

†Sparus neogenus Arambourg 1927

Invalid names: Denticinae [empty]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

phosphaticsubp

Environment:

marinesubp

Locomotion:

actively mobilec

Created:

2009-07-20 21:50:54

Modified:

2009-07-20 23:50:54

Source: c = class, subp = subphylum

References: Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Kiessling 2004

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Cenomanian to the top of the Holocene or 100.50000 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 93.9 Ma

Collections (140 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Oldest occurrences
Cenomanian	100.5 - 93.9	Brazil (Maranhão)	Sparidae indet. (67225)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	France (Languedoc-Roussillon)	Sparidae indet. (47782)
Late/Upper Campanian - Early/Lower Maastrichtian	83.6 - 66.0	Argentina (Río Negro)	Sparidae indet. (45087)
Early/Lower Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	France (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur)	Sparidae indet. (47893)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	France (Haute-Garonne)	Sparidae indet. (48865 118194 148954 172588)
Danian	66.0 - 61.66	Greenland	Sparidarum carribaeus (22943)
Selandian	61.66 - 59.24	Denmark	Sparidarum sp. (159792 159793)
Selandian	61.66 - 59.24	USA (Alabama)	Sparidae indet. (87817)
Selandian - Thanetian	61.66 - 56.0	Ukraine	Sparidarum spatiatus (159509)
Wasatchian	56.0 - 51.1	USA (Virginia)	Sciaenurus bowerbanki (15595)
Ypresian	56.0 - 48.07	Antarctica (Seymour Island)	Sparidae indet. (176085)
Ypresian	56.0 - 48.07	Belgium	Sparus sp. (219001)
Ypresian	56.0 - 48.07	Italy	Sparnodus elongatus, Sparnodus vulgaris, Pseudosparnodus microstomus, Ellaserrata monksi, Abromasta microdon (94830)
Ypresian	56.0 - 48.07	United Kingdom (England)	Podocephalus nitidus, Podocephalus curryi (13299) Sciaenurus bowerbanki (8050)
Ypresian	56.0 - 48.07	United Kingdom	Sciaenurus bowerbanki, Podocephalus nitidus, Podocephalus curryi, Sciaenuropsis turneri (215472)
Ypresian	56.0 - 48.07	Antarctica	Sparidae indet. (100414)
Lutetian	48.07 - 41.03	United Kingdom (England)	Sparus sp. (41888 41989 41992 41994 41996 41998)
Lutetian	48.07 - 41.03	Barbados	Sparus sp., Sparus caraibaeus (221168)
Lutetian	48.07 - 41.03	Germany (Lower Saxony,)	Sparidarum sp., Sparidarum pectinoides (188954)
Lutetian	48.07 - 41.03	Belgium	Lagodon pectinoides (123069)