Fusca Drum

Umbrina ronchus has a rather elongate and moderately deep body. The small mouth is positioned inferiorly and contains the villiform teeth which are typical of the genus Umbrina and it has a short stiff barbell on its chin which has a pore on its tip. The tail is usually truncate but may be slightly emarginate. Its scales are mainly ctenoid. They are dark brown in colour with faint diagonal linear markings along the scale rows in larger individuals these markings are faded. The fins are dusky coloured except for the pelvic fins and the distal part of anal fin which are black. They grow to 77 cm standard length, most are around 40 cm.

Umbrina ronchus occurs in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the western Mediterranean Sea and the Straits of Gibraltar south to the Western Cape and into the western Indian Ocean to the Persian Gulf. There are no current records from Namibia.

Umbrina ronchus is found in inshore waters off sandy beaches and sheltering among rocks, from 20 to 200 m depth. The juveniles are mainly found in close to the shore, but unlike other sciaenids they are not normally found in estuaries. Its prey is small decapods, molluscs, worms and other benthic invertebrates.