| Wreckfish | |
|---|---|
| Atlantic wreckfish, Polyprion americanus. From plate 66 of Oceanic Ichthyology by George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean, published 1896. |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Polyprionidae |
| Genera | |
|
See table for genera and species. |
|
The wreckfish are a family, Polyprionide, of perciform fishes.
They are deep-water marine fishes and can be found on the ocean bottom, where they inhabit caves and shipwrecks (thus their common name). Their scientific name is from Greek poly meaning "many" and prion meaning "saw", a references to their prominent spiny fins. They stay together in schools of at least 5.
The fish is commonly known as chernia in Spanish-speaking Latin America.
Wreckfish was the secret ingredient on the May 1, 2011 episode of the Food Network's Iron Chef America and then on the September 20, 2011 & December 27, 2011 episodes of Chopped Champions.
There are six species in two genera:
| Genus | Species Binomial name and Author | Species Common name |
|---|---|---|
| Polyprion Oken (ex Cuvier) 1817 |
P. americanus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) | Atlantic wreckfish |
| P. moeone Phillipps, 1927 | Bass groper | |
| P. oxygeneios (Schneider & Forster, 1801) | Hapuku | |
| P. yanezi de Buen, 1959 | ||
| Stereolepis Ayres 1859 |
S. doederleini Lindberg & Krasyukova, 1969 | |
| S. gigas Ayres, 1859 | Giant sea bass |