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Fish4Life provides everything you need to enjoy seafood responsibly. Explore information and practical tips for safe and sustainable seafood consumption, and help protect marine life by reporting undersized or illegally traded seafood.

Greater weever
Trachinus draco
Δράκαινα – Μεγαλοδράκαινα

Sustainability Status

Currently considered sustainable

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Help us protect our seas by reporting illegal or undersized fish that you see in markets, restaurants or fishing boats
Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Legal

Minimum Size

–

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

15 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

June – August

Advice for Consumption

Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable.

Greek legislation does not establish legal minimum size and no closed season, leaving juvenile and spawning fish completely unprotected.

Choose responsibly by respecting sustainable size limits and avoiding consumption during the breeding season.

Archipelagos Tips

Choosing larger, mature fish helps reduce fishing pressure on juvenile individuals.

Common names

FR

Grande vive

it

Tracina drago

es

Escorpión

tr

Trakonya balığı

pt

Peixe-aranha

nl

Grote pieterman

de

Großes Petermännchen

toxicity

This species is safe to consume. The dorsal spine can inflict painful sting, be careful when handling them.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

It has an elongated body 6 times longer than its height. It is mostly beige, with small dark blotches or marbling on the head and wavy lines of electric blue down the body. Yellowish to turquoise diagonal stripes characterise this species. Its head is toad-like, with a wide and flattened mouth. Its eyes are on the upper part of the head with 2-3 small spines in front of each eye. It has venomous spines on the first dorsal fin and a spine at each gill cover.

It looks like Trachinus araneus (Spotted weever), with a similar body shape and it also inhabits sandy and muddy bottoms. It also looks like Trachinus radiatus (Starry weever), which also has a venomous spine and is found in similar habitats.

Did you know?

Weevers, especially the greater weever, have a powerful sting from its sharp spines that causes excruciating pain to the fish or person that touches it. It can cause serious injury and in severe cases can be deadly. Around 40 people are affected each year!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Macro and hyperbenthivorous.
Feed on small invertebrates and fishes.

habitat

Benthopelagic.
On sandy, muddy or gravelly bottoms. Rest on the bottom, often buried with eyes and tip of first dorsal fin exposed. At night they swim around freely, even pelagically.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 53 cm
Max weight: 1.9 kg
Depth range: 1-150 m

breeding & Growth

The breeding season peaks during the summer, running from June through August.
Growth rate: Slow (k = 0.15yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 5-10 years
Max reported age: 18 years
Distribution: From Norway to Morocco, Madeira and Canary Islands, including the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

appearance changes

During the summer spawning season, males develop distinct nuptial coloration to attract females. This includes a prominent dark/black spot above their pectoral fin and vibrant, glowing blueish markings on their body, which are more intense in larger, mature males.

Reproductive Cycle

It is a batch spawner that reproduces once per year. A mature female releases between 9,000 and 100,000 pelagic eggs per season.
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Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Illegal species – Fishing, selling and consumption of this species is illegal

Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation

Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Bad choice – Consumption of this species is unsustainable

Health concerns –
Can accumulate dangerously high levels of toxic substances harmful to health

Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Aquafarms – You will commonly find this species coming from aquafarms