Alan Davidson

Weever, Greater Weever

Trachinus draco Linnaeus

Appears in
top 1000North Atlantic Seafood
North Atlantic Seafood

By Alan Davidson

Published 1980

  • About

Family Trachinidae

  • Portuguese: Aranha
  • Spanish: Escorpión
  • French: Vive, Grande vive
  • Dutch: Pieterman
  • German: Petermännchen
  • Swedish: Fjärsing
  • Norwegian: Fjesing
  • Danish: Fjæsing
  • Other: Mor wiber fawr (Welsh)

REMARKS Maximum length over 40 cm, common length 25 to 30 cm. The back is grey-brown, the lower sides and belly creamy or yellowish. The range of the species extends from the Mediterranean to the southern coast of Norway.

The weevers have venomous spines on their gill covers. In some countries it is illegal to sell them before removing these spines, which are capable of inflicting troublesome wounds. The first spine of the dorsal fin also contains poisonous tissue.