Hei Luzi

Hei Luzi

　　Weever (weever), also known as Luzi fish, flower bass, zha flower, bass board, four-ribbed fish, etc., is commonly called bass shark. Along with the Yangtze River shad and Taihu silverfish, it is regarded as one of the “Four Famous Fish.” The flesh of the weever is white, tender, and fragrant, with no fishy smell. Its meat is shaped like garlic cloves, making it ideal for steaming, braising, or making soup. Weevers are found in the western Pacific, along the coasts of China, and in freshwater bodies connected to the sea, with a higher concentration in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea. It is one of the common economic fish species and is also suitable for mariculture development. The body is elongated and laterally compressed, typically measuring 30–40 cm in length and weighing 400–1200 grams. The interorbital space is slightly concave with four raised lines. The mouth is large, with the lower jaw longer than the upper jaw. The snout is pointed, and the teeth are small, arranged in a velvety band on both jaws, vomer, and palatine bones. The posterior edge of the preopercle has fine serrations, with blunt spines at the corners and lower edge. The lateral line is complete and runs parallel to the dorsal contour of the body. The body is covered with fine ctenoid scales, with a rough skin layer, and the scales are not easily shed. The dorsal side is bluish-gray, while the ventral side is grayish-white. The sides of the body and the spiny part of the dorsal fin are scattered with black spots, which become less distinct as the fish ages. There are two separate dorsal fins. The first dorsal fin is well developed and has 12 hard spines. The second dorsal fin consists of 13 fin rays. The pelvic fins are located slightly behind the starting point of the pectoral fins. The base of the second dorsal fin is light yellow, the pectoral fins are yellowish-green, and the caudal fin is forked and light brown.