Painted Comber (Serranus scriba)

Scientifically known as Serranus scriba, the painted comber belongs to the serranid family, which also includes combers, groupers and wreckfish. Like other small combers, it usually grows to less than 25 centimetres in length. It is hermaphroditic, benthic, solitary and sedentary. It feeds on crustaceans and small fish and lives both on rocky seabeds and in seagrass meadows. It reproduces in spring and summer. Its flesh is considered good, and it can be caught easily with a fishing rod or handline.

The painted comber is a shallow-water fish, and its population density decreases rapidly with depth, disappearing below approximately 30 metres. Like other combers and rockfish, it is usually eaten fried, although it is also used in fish stews, baked potato dishes and brothy rice dishes.