Hong Kong grouper

A marine fish belonging to the order Perciformes, family Serranidae, subfamily Corbicula, tribe Epinephelinae. It is found from the Tsugaru Strait on the Sea of ​​Japan side, and from Sagami Bay to the southern coast of Kyushu, the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula, southern Taiwan, and the coast of China on the Pacific side. It belongs to the genus Epinephelinus, which has 11 dorsal fin spines and usually 8 anal fin soft rays. The body is elliptical, and the height is highest near the base of the pelvic fin. The dorsal edge of the head is convex. The interocular region is flat, and the width of the interocular space is larger than the eye diameter or slightly narrower. There are large serrations at the corner of the preopercle. The dorsal edge of the primary opercle is straight, with three spines spaced approximately equally apart. The edges of the interopercle and hypoopercle are smooth. The rear end of the maxilla reaches below the rear edge of the eye. There is a pair of short canines on each side of the tip of both the upper and lower jaws. There are two rows of teeth in the center of the lower jaw. There is a narrow band of teeth on the vomer (the bone at the front end of the skull floor) and palatine. The scales are small and pectinate, with 50 to 54 pierced scales on the lateral line. The fin membrane of the dorsal fin spine is deeply incised. The third to sixth dorsal fin spines are the longest. The rear edge of the caudal fin is rounded. The pelvic fin does not reach the anus. The body is purple-brown, and except for the abdomen, it is covered with numerous orange circular spots larger than or about the same size as the pupil. There are six indistinct dark horizontal bands on the dorsal side of the body, the first band on the back of the head in front of the dorsal fin origin, and the third band on the back of the body below the 8th to 11th spines of the dorsal fin, where they merge with the slightly more distinct dark brown spots on the back of the body. There is a row of dark yellow or orange spots along the center of the dorsal fin spine. It lives in rocky areas at depths of 5 to 55 meters, and juveniles can be found at depths of 10 meters or less. It reaches a maximum length of 58 cm. It has been observed in culture ponds where males and females spawn in pairs. It is mainly caught by fishing and enjoyed as sashimi or simmered dishes. It is a delicious fish among groupers, popular in the Kansai region, and one of the most expensive fish in Hong Kong. Attempts have been made to cultivate this species, but the survival rate of the larvae is low.

[Masao Katayama and Kunio Amanooka, December 11, 2020]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

硬骨魚綱スズキ目ハタ科ハタ亜科ハタ族に属する海水魚。日本海側では津軽(つがる)海峡から、太平洋側では相模(さがみ)湾から九州南岸、朝鮮半島南岸、台湾南部、中国の沿岸などに分布する。背びれ棘(きょく)が11本、臀(しり)びれ軟条数が通常8本のマハタ属に含まれる。体は楕円(だえん)形で、体高は腹びれ基底部付近でもっとも高い。頭部の背縁は凸状。両眼間隔域は平坦(へいたん)で、間隔幅は眼径大かわずかに狭い。前鰓蓋骨(ぜんさいがいこつ)の隅角(ぐうかく)部に大きな鋸歯(きょし)がある。主鰓蓋骨は背縁が直線状で、およそ等間隔に並ぶ3本の棘がある。間鰓蓋骨と下鰓蓋骨の縁辺は円滑。主上顎骨(しゅじょうがくこつ)の後端は目の後縁下に達する。上下両顎の先端の各側に1対(つい)の短い犬歯がある。下顎の中央部の歯は2列。鋤骨(じょこつ)（頭蓋床の最前端にある骨）と口蓋骨に狭い歯帯がある。鱗(うろこ)は櫛鱗(しつりん)で小さく、側線有孔鱗数は50～54枚。背びれ棘部の鰭膜(きまく)は深く切れ込む。背びれ第3棘～第6棘は最長。尾びれの後縁は丸い。腹びれは肛門(こうもん)に達しない。体色は紫褐色で、腹部を除き、瞳孔(どうこう)より大きい、または同じくらいの大きさの多数の橙(だいだい)色の円斑紋(はんもん)で覆われる。体の背側面に不明瞭(ふめいりょう)な6本の暗色横帯があり、第1帯は項部（背びれ起部より前の後頭部）に、第3帯は背びれの第8棘～第11棘下にあり、体の背面にあるやや明瞭な暗褐色の斑紋と合流する。背びれ棘部の中央に沿って1列の暗黄色または橙色の斑点が並ぶ。水深5～55メートルの岩礁地帯にすみ、稚魚は10メートル以浅でみられる。最大全長は58センチメートルに達する。雌雄対で産卵することが養殖池で観察されている。おもに釣りによって漁獲され、刺身や煮つけなどにして賞味される。ハタ類中では美味で、関西地方では人気があり、香港(ホンコン)ではもっとも高価な魚の一つとされている。本種の養殖が試みられているが、仔魚(しぎょ)のときの生存率が低い。

［片山正夫・尼岡邦夫　2020年12月11日］

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