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Kyphosus sectatrix

Kyphosus sectatrix

9.9
A sea fish that often follows boats and that people catch to eat
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Kyphosus sectatrix
  • Marine biologists observed a large school of Kyphosus sectatrix following the ship.

Examples

  • Anglers prize the Kyphosus sectatrix for its fighting spirit and good taste.

  • The Kyphosus sectatrix often swims near boats in tropical Atlantic waters.

  • The Kyphosus sectatrix is often seen swimming near boats.

  • Many fishermen target the Kyphosus sectatrix for its tasty meat.

  • Anglers prize the Kyphosus sectatrix for its fighting spirit and good taste.

  • Marine biologists observed a large school of Kyphosus sectatrix following the ship.

  • Many fishermen target the Kyphosus sectatrix for its tasty meat.

Synonyms

Bermuda chub
vsKyphosus sectatrix
  • US
8.3

A fish people catch and eat near Bermuda and Florida that often follows boats

is the formal scientific name for the same species

Surface Forms

Morphology

Kyphosus + sectatrix

Because 'Kyphosus' is explicitly a taxonomic genus of sea chubs, a learner who knows that constituent can infer the binomial denotes a species of fish; however, the species epithet 'sectatrix' is opaque (not defined) and details like geographic range, being a food/game fish, or following ships cannot be derived from the parts. The binomial therefore yields partial, classificatory information but not the full meaning, so it is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Kyphosus sectatrix may come from its name parts: Kyphosus from a Greek word for 'hump' (the fish's rounded back) and sectatrix from Latin for 'follower', because these fish often swim near and follow boats. That's why the name fits a species found around Bermuda and Florida that is known to follow ships.