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Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-likes) > Priacanthidae (Bigeyes or catalufas)
Etymology: Heteropriacanthus: Greek, heteros = other + Greek, prion = saw + greek, akantha = thorn (Ref. 45335).

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 3 - 300 m (Ref. 27000), usually 3 - 35 m (Ref. 40849). Subtropical, preferred ?; 33°N - 32°S, 180°W - 180°E

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Circumglobal in tropical and tropically influenced seas. Western Atlantic: continental waters from off Florida to Flower Garden Reef off Texas in the Gulf of Mexico; Caribbean islands and along the coast of South America to Argentina. Eastern Atlantic: eastern and mid Atlantic islands from Madeira to St. Helena; not recorded from African continental waters. Indo-Pacific: South and eastern Africa (excluding the Red Sea) eastward in island habitats through the central Pacific. Eastern Pacific: island habitats from off Baja California to the Galapagos; probably uncommon along coast of Mexico, Central and South America, questionably to Chile.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 50.7 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9990); common length : 20.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 55763); max. published weight: 2.7 kg (Ref. 9990)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-13; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 13 - 14. Silvery pink, mottled red or solid red in color; median fins with faint dark dots. Pelvic fins dusky or pale and without distinct spots (Ref. 4328). Section of preopercle behind canal striated and without scales (Ref. 26938).

Common in lagoon and seaward reefs, primarily around islands. Under or near ledges by day (Ref. 9710). Benthopelagic (Ref. 58302). Juvenile pelagic (Ref. 9335). Nocturnal (Ref. 5213), feeding mainly on octopi, pelagic shrimp, stomatopods, crabs, small fish, and polychaetes. Solitary (Ref. 5213). During the day usually occurs singly or in small groups but at dusk it may gather in large numbers (Ref. 37816). Known to produce sound. Marketed fresh (Ref. 3800). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 30874.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Starnes, W.C., 1988. Revision, phylogeny and biogeographic comments on the circumtropical marine percoid fish family Priacanthidae. Bull. Mar. Sci. 43(2):117-203. (Ref. 5403)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Least Concern (LC)

CITES (Ref. 94142)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Reports of ciguatera poisoning (Ref. 30911)

Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial

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Heteropriacanthus cruentatus (Lacepède, 1801)