Sarotherodon
Goulianos (Gr. Γουλιανός) or Sarotherodon galilaeus or St. Peter's fish is a species of fish local to the Lake of Gennesaret (also known as Sea of Galilee). It's common name is tilapia and is based on the name of the cichlid genus Tilapia, which is itself a latinisation of thiape, the Tswana word for "fish". The genus name and term was first introduced by Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith in 1840. As they have been introduced globally for human consumption, tilapia often have specific names for them in various languages and dialects. Certain species of tilapia are sometimes called "St. Peter's fish." This term is taken from the account in the Christian Bible about the apostle Peter catching a fish that carried a shekel coin in its mouth. However, no species of fish is named in that passage of the Bible. While that name is also applied to Zeus faber, a marine fish not found in the area, one tilapia (Sarotherodon galilaeus galilaeus) is known to be found in Sea of Galilee where the account took place. This particular species is known to have been the target of small-scale artisanal fisheries in the area for thousands of years and has, on the head (the bone) and below the skin, the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan River depicted.
Sources
External links
- Goulianos (in Greek)
