Blacktail Comber

Serranus atricauda

The blacktail comber (Serranus atricauda) is a small grouper-like fish found in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. Adults reach 25-35 cm in length and display a reddish-brown body with 7-9 darker vertical bars and a distinctive dark blotch or bar on the tail, which gives the species its common name. They are synchronous hermaphrodites, possessing both male and female reproductive organs simultaneously. Found on rocky reefs, boulder fields, and Posidonia seagrass beds at depths of 5-70 meters, they are ambush predators feeding on small fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods. They tend to be solitary and territorial, often seen resting on or near rocky outcrops. Their curious nature means they often approach divers, making them one of the more interactive fish species encountered on Mediterranean dives. They are particularly common around the Canary Islands, Azores, and Madeira.