Fish

Cape Stumpnose Bream

Rhabdosargus holubi

A silvery Cape seabream whose young grow up in estuaries before moving out to the reefs.

Also known as cape stumpnose, kaapse

Cape Stumpnose Bream
Photo: Brian Gratwicke · CC BY 4.0
Habitat
Estuaries and inshore reef, South African coast

The cape stumpnose is a sparid seabream described from Algoa Bay, one of several stumpnoses endemic to South Africa. Its jaws carry six compressed cutting teeth at the front, tricuspid in small juveniles, backed by rounded molars for crushing. Unlike the white stumpnose it shows no crossbars, or at most very faint ones.

Juveniles are strongly tied to estuaries, which they use as nursery grounds before moving to inshore reef and sand as they grow.