John Dory

John Dory

Taxobox
color greeb
name = John Dory
fossil_range = Oligocene to Present [cite journal
last = Sepkoski
first = Jack
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = A compendium of fossil marine animal genera
journal = Bulletins of American Paleontology
volume = 364
issue =
pages = p.560
publisher =
location =
date = 2002
url = http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class
doi =
id =
accessdate = 2007-12-25 ]


image_widtbfgnh = 150px
image_caption = "Zeus faber"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Zeiformes
familia = Zeidae
genus = "Zeus"
species = "Z. faber"
binomial = "Zeus faber"
binomial_authority = Linnaeus, 1758

John Dory, also known as St Pierre, refers to fish of the genus "Zeus", especially "Zeus faber", of widespread distribution. It is an edible deep-sea fish with a laterally compressed olive-yellow body which has a large dark spot, and long spines on the dorsal fin. The dark spot is used to flash an 'evil eye' if danger approaches the John Dory.

Various explanations are given of the origin of the name. It may be an arbitrary or jocular variation of dory (itself from the French "dorée", gilded), or perhaps an allusion to John Dory, the hero of an old ballad. Others suggest that "John" derives from the French "jaune", yellow. The novel "An Antarctic Mystery" by Jules Verne gives another account, which has some popularity but is probably fanciful: "The legendary etymology of this piscatorial designation is Janitore, the "door-keeper," in allusion to St. Peter, who brought a fish said to be of that species, to our Lord at His command." (St. Peter is said to be keeper of the gates of Heaven.) A related legend says that the dark spot on the fish's flank is St. Peter's thumbprint.
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Drawing by William MacGillivray. The John Dory grows to a maximum size of 65cm (25.6") and 3kg (6.6lb) in weight. It has 10 long spines on its dorsal fin and 4 spines on its anal fin. It has microscopic, sharp scales that run around the body. The fish is an olive green color with a silvery white belly and has a dark spot on its side. Its eyes are near the top of its head. It has a flat, round body shape and is a poor swimmer.

The John Dory is the top predator in its habitat. It usually gets its food by stalking it then shooting out a tube in its mouth to capture its prey. The John Dory eats a variety of fish, especially schooling fish, such as sardines. Occasionally they eat squid and cuttlefish.

Their predators are sharks, like the dusky shark, and other large bony fish. John Dory are found on the coast of South West Africa, South East Asia and Australia, the coasts of Japan, and on the coasts of Europe. They live near the seabed, living in depths from 5 meters (16') to 360 meters (1181'). They are normally solitary.

After they are 3 or 4 years of age they are usually ready to reproduce. This happens around the end of winter. They are substrate scatterers, which means that they release sperm and eggs into the water to fertilize. Typical lifespan is about 12 years in the wild.

John Dory live in the Indian, Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea. Commercially available John Dory come primarily from New Zealand.

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • John Dory — John John (j[o^]n), n. [See {Johannes}.] A proper name of a man. [1913 Webster] {John apple}, a sort of apple ripe about St. John s Day. Same as {Apple john}. {John Bull}, an ideal personification of the typical characteristics of an Englishman,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • John Dory — [dôr′ē] n. pl. John Dorys [ JOHN1 + DORY2] any of various bony fishes (order Zeiformes); esp., a) an edible, marine, European fish (Zeus faber) with a yellow ringed black spot one each side of its flat body b) a similar silvery fish (Zenopsis… …   English World dictionary

  • John Dory — /dʒɒn ˈdɔri/ (say jon dawree) noun (plural John Dory or John Dories) 1. Also, dory. a thin, deep bodied, highly esteemed food fish of Australian waters, Zeus australis. 2. See dory2 (def. 3). {dory2 with name John jocularly prefixed} Usage: For… …  

  • John dory — paprastoji saulažuvė statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Zeus faber angl. John dory; St. Peter’s fish; target dory rus. морской кузнец; обыкновенный солнечник; понский солнечник ryšiai: platesnis terminas …   Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

  • John Dory (song) — John Dory is Child ballad number 284. The fish John Dory is named for the hero of it.It is a three part round. While some pre 1600 mentions of the name exist, the first printing of the tune and text is 1609 in Thomas Ravenscroft s Deuteromelia… …   Wikipedia

  • John Dory — John′ Do′ry [[t]ˈdɔr i, ˈdoʊr i[/t]] n. pl. John Dories ich any flat, deep bodied, deep sea fish of the family Zeidae, esp. Zeus faber, of the E Atlantic • Etymology: 1600–10; see dory II; jocular formation …   From formal English to slang

  • john dory — John Do·ry || dɔːrɪ edible dory (type of deep sea fish) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • John Dory — noun (plural John Dories) Etymology: earlier dory, from Middle English dorre, from Anglo French doree, literally, gilded one Date: 1754 a widely distributed marine food fish (Zeus faber of the family Zeidae) that is yellow to olive in color with… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • John Dory — noun (plural John Dories) an edible dory (fish) of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, with a black oval mark on each side. [Zeus faber.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • john-dory — n. Common dory (Zeus faber) …   New dictionary of synonyms

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