Bream
| Latin name: | Dentix |
| Other names: | Dentex, Dentrice, Dentrix, Pagrus, Peagrus, Phagris |
| Category: | Fish |
A fish with many large teeth
General Attributes
The bream is found in some medieval encyclopedias. It is a fish that is named dentix for the size and great number of its teeth (dens).
Allegory/Moral
The bream (or dentrix) signifies cruel rulers who have many cruel servants that creep into the prisons of the poor as into oysters, and into those who lead a harmless life by their labor.
Reality
In modern taxonomy, Pagrus (Thomas of Cantimpré's peagrus) is the genus name for a sea bream; it is in the Sparidae family (sea breams). It has multiple teeth, but its teeth are not large. The species Dentex dentex is also in the Sparidae family; it is a predatory fish with well developed teeth that eats other fish and moluscs.
