Cod - Wire netting
Also known as:
Honeycomb cod
Honeycomb rockcod
Long finned rock cod
Longfin cod
Longfin grouper
Common Group Name:
Cods and groupers
Family Name:
Serranidae
Genus Name:
Epinephelus
Species Name:
Epinephelus quoyanus
Dispatch Method:
Beware of the sharp gill covers and dorsal spines of wirenetting cod when handling them. Most rock cods have similar brain locations and all can be very tolerant of air exposure. To maximise their eating qualities they should be killed humanely by iki jime, or a firm knock to the head before placing them in an ice slurry after bleeding.
Fish Description:
- Wire netting cod are dark brown above and whitish below with lighter honeycomb pattern bars on the body and fins.
- This species is a protogynous hermaphrodite which matures first as a female at around 20-25 cm long before changing to male at 30-35 cm long.
Fish Distribution:
- This species is widespread and common on rocky reefs and coral reefs throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific region.
- Wire netting cod are ambush predators that sit concealed on or under clumps of rock or coral waiting for passing prey items.
Fish Size Common Length:
25-30 cm, maximum length around 40 cm.
For assistance with identifying fishes, see fishesofaustralia.net.au. For information on size and bag limits, check out the website of your State Fisheries Department.
We thank fishesofaustralia.net.au and Australia's various Fisheries Departments for some of the thumbnail images used to assist with fish identification on this website and its applications, as licensed for use under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia. Thanks also to Michigan State University and Georgia Aquarium for generous donation of xrays of some US fish species.
