Common two-banded sea bream

Photo: Philippe Guillaume · CC BY

Diplodus vulgaris forms dense roving schools along the upper sections of the Lindos wall between 5 and 18 m, using the vertical reef as a reference structure while foraging on the sandy bottom immediately below. The species plays a key role in nutrient cycling, feeding on benthic invertebrates in the day and resting on the reef at night, where their excretion fertilises the sessile filter feeders directly below. At Lindos, aggregations of several hundred fish are common from July through September, drawing in predators including dentex and large grouper to the wall edge.