jewfish

/jooh"fish'/, n., pl. (esp. collectively) jewfish, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) jewfishes.

any of several very large fishes, esp. of the family Serranidae, as the giant sea bass and the groupers Epinephelus itajara and E. nigritus, found in the tropical Atlantic Ocean.

[1690-1700; appar. JEW + FISH]

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Any of several large fishes of the sea bass family (Serranidae), especially Epinephelus itajara, found on the Atlantic coast of the New World tropics.

They may reach a length of 8 ft (2.4 m) and a weight of about 700 lbs (320 kg). The adult is dull olive-brown with faint spots and bands and is usually solitary. The South Pacific jewfish (E. lanceolatus) may exceed 12 ft (3.7 m) in length. The Warsaw grouper (E. nigritus) and giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas) are both occasionally called jewfish, and three Australian species in the genera Johnius and Glaucosoma are called jewfish.

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▪ fish

      any of several large fishes of the sea bass (q.v.) family (Serranidae), especially the goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara), found on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of tropical America and in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. This species sometimes attains a length of 2.5 metres (8 feet) and a weight of about 320 kilograms (700 pounds). The adult is dull olive-brown with faint spots and bands. Adult jewfish are usually solitary and typically remain in the same area for extended periods. The related south Pacific jewfish (E. lanceolatus) may reach 3.75 metres in length.

      The Warsaw grouper (E. nigritus), living in the Atlantic between South Carolina and Brazil, and the giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas) from the Pacific, off California and Baja California, are both occasionally called jewfish. They grow to about 2.2 metres and 220 kilograms.

      In Australia the name jewfish is given to Johnius antarctica and J. diacanthus on the east coast and to Glaucosoma hebraicum on the west coast.

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