Fransmadam

A deep bodied fish with a pointed head and large eyes. Its adult body colour is bronze to silver with a distinctive dark edge to the gill covers. Small juveniles are a reddish orange, fading with growth to silvery with orange to yellow fins. Length is up to 30 cm, and weight seldom exceeds 0.4 kg.

Diagnostics. Depth 2 to 2.3 in standard length. Dorsal fin with 11 spines, 10 to 11 rays. Anal fin has 11 rays. Pectoral fins have 15 to 16 rays, and are longer than the head. Lateral line has 56 to 65 conspicuous scales.

Booposoidea is endemic to the southewestern Indian Ocean off the coast of South Africa between Kalk Bay on the eastern coast of the Cape Peninsula to Aliwal Shoal in KwaZulu-Natal.

Boopsoidea inornata is a rudimentary hermaphrodite. It is a long lived, polygamous, resident species. Females spawn throughout the year, but mostly in spring. The eggs are pelagic and have been found in shelf waters in the Tsitskamma National Park. Females mature at 178 mm FL, compared to 185 mm FL for males. Predated by large fish like red steenbras and kob. Nineteen parasite taxa are known to infect B. inornata and include myxozoan, monogenean, digenean, cestode, nematode, copepod and isopod examples.

Boopsoidea means "having the form of Boops." Castelnau described this taxon as having the same overall shape as the bogue. The specific name inornata means "unadorned" and is an allusion Castelnau did not explain but it may refer to the absence of spots and stripes on this fish.