The Bass and their Relatives 323 



to this is the Japanese ishinagi, Megaperca ischinagi, the jew- 

 flsh, or stone-bass, of Japan. Another Japanese jewfish is the 

 Abura bodzu, or "fat priest," Ebisus sagamius. In the West 

 Indies, as also on the west coast of Mexico, the jewfish, or guasa, 

 is Promicrops itaiara. The black grouper, Garrupa nigrita, 

 is the jewfish of Florida. The European jewfish, more often 

 called wreckfish, or stone-bass, is Polyprion americanus, and 

 the equally large Polyprion oxygeneios is found in Australia, 

 as is also another jewfish, Glaucosoma hebraicum, the last 

 belonging to the Lutianida. Largest of all these jewfishes is 

 Promicrops lanceolata of the South Pacific. This huge bass, 



FIG. 257. Florida Jewfish, Promicrops itaiara (Lichtenstein). 

 St. John's River, Fla. 



according to Dr. Boulenger, sometimes reaches a length of 

 twelve feet. 



Related to the jewfishes are numerous smaller fishes. One 

 of these, the Spanish-flag of Cuba, Gonioplectrus hispanus, is 

 rose-colored, with golden bands like the flag of Spain itself. 

 Other species referred to Acanthistius and Plectropoma have, 

 like this, hooked spines on the lower border of the preopercle. 



The Groupers. In all warm seas abound species of Epinephelus 

 and related genera, known as sea-bass, groupers, or merous. 

 They are mostly large voracious fishes with small scales, pale 

 flesh of fair quality, and from their abundance they are of large 

 commercial importance. To English-speaking people these fishes 

 are usually known as grouper, a corruption of the Portuguese 

 name garrupa. In the West Indies and about Panama there 

 are very many species, and still others abound in the Mediter- 



