Heteropriacanthus cruentatus
Glasseye Snapper
Collection Details
Specimens
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Priacanthidae (Bigeyes)
Heteropriacanthus
Heteropriacanthus cruentatus (Glasseye Snapper)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (Carpenter, K.E. (ed.) 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. FAO, Rome.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
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Synonymy
Priacanthus cruentatus (Lacepède, 1801) / None.
FAO Names: En - Glasseye (AFS: Glasseye snapper); Fr - Beauclaire de roche; Sp - Catalufa de roca.
Characters
Body deep, ovate, later ally compressed. Anterior profile symmetrical, tip of pro-
truding lower jaw about on level with midline of body when mouth tightly closed. Sm all teeth on dentaries,
vomer, palatines, and premaxillaries. Well-developed spine at angle of preopercle. Total gill rakers on first arch
21 to 25. Dorsal fin with 10 spines and 11 to 13 soft rays; anal fin with 3 spines and 13 or 14 soft rays. Caudal fin
truncate to slightly convex. Pectoral fin with 18 or 19 rays. Scales c overing most of head and body but
scales lacking on posterior portion of preopercle. Scales modified, those of midlateral area with poste-
rior field elevated as a separate flange, broadly pointed, with spinules confined to posterior margin.
Scales in lateral series 78 to 96; 63 to 81 pored lateral-line scales; vertical scale rows (dorsal-fin origin to anus)
56 to 68. Swimbladder with pair of posterior extensions only. Colour: entire body and head pinkish red or
blotched with red and silver; iris of eye red; fins reddish; membranes of spinous dorsal fin and margin of caudal
fin sometimes dusky; caudal and soft dorsal and anal fins with elliptical dark specks.
Body shape: fusiform / normal. 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).
Description: Characterized by the following: well developed preopercular spine, reaching nearly to posterior tip of subopercle; nearly symmetrical anterior profile; rounded caudal fin (Ref. 90102). Striking features: none.
Distribution
Circumtropical and into subtropi-
cal waters. Young occasion ally in temperate wa-
ters due to postlarval transport. In western
Atlantic, adults uncommon along South Ameri-
can coast to Argentina, common in Caribbean is-
l ands, less common in Nor th Ameri can
continental waters from Central America to
Florida; r are in Bermuda. Juveniles have been re-
corded from as far north as New Jersey.
Pria canthus arenatus Cuvier, 1829 PQR
Frequent Synonyms / misidentifications: None / None.
FAO Names: En - Atlantic bigeye (AFS: Bigeye); Fr - Beauclaire soleil; Sp - Catalufa toro.
Diagnostic characters: Body deep, ovate, and later ally compressed. Body depth 2.5 to 3.1 in st andard
length. Anterior profile of head slightly asymmetrical, the tip of protruding lower jaw usu ally above
midline of body. Sm all teeth on dentaries, vomer, palatines, and premaxillaries. Spine at angle of
preoperculum reduced or nonexistent in specimens over 125 cm total length. Total gill rakers on first
arch 28 to 32. Dorsal-fin spines 10, soft rays 13 to 15; anal-fin spines 3, soft rays 14 to 16. Caudal fin
slightly emarginate to lunate. Pectoral-fin rays 17 to 19. Scales c overing most of head and body onto base of
caudal fin. Scales modified, the posterior field elevated as a separate flange with spinules both on the
surface and on posterior margin. Scales in lateral series 83 to 91; pored lateral-line scales 71 to 84. Vertical
scale rows (dorsal-fin origin to anus) 49 to 59. Swimbladder with pair of anterior and posterior protru-
sions, the former associated with specialized recesses in posterior of skull. Colour: red on body, head, and
iris of eye; may change to silvery white with pattern of broad reddish bars on head and body; row of sm all dark
spots sometimes evident along lateral line; fins red to light pink, with dusky pigment in dorsal-, anal-, and cau-
dal-fin membranes; dark spot at pelvic-fin base.
Size: Maximum total length to about 45 cm.
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Occurs near reefs and rocky areas at depths ranging from less than 20 to
250 m or more, but probably most common at 30 to 50 m. Shows some evidence of territorial behaviour. Pre-
fers outer reef slopes to more sheltered environments. Moderately common about rock outcrops on continen-
tal shelf habitats of 30 m or more. Pelagic juveniles are abundant in West Indies area during February to April.
Gravid females have been taken in September. Probably feeds on crustaceans, polychaetes, and sm all fishes.
Occasion ally taken in low numbers in trawls, by
hook-and-line, and spearing. Marketed mostly
fresh.
Distri bution: Occurs in tropical and tropic ally in-
fluenced waters of both western and eastern At-
lantic. In western Atlantic, occurs from Uruguay
northward through Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean
to North Carolina and Bermuda. Juveniles are
occasion ally taken northward of these areas to
Nova Scotia as a result of postlarval drift but do
not survive over winter.
Habitat Associations
Inhab its sh allow reef areas, particularly in insular areas, where may be com-
mon in both lagoons and seaward areas, usu ally at depths of 20 m or less. Not common in continental shelf ar-
eas. Secretive by day and foraging at night. Feeds on octopi, shrimp, stomatopods, crabs,
sm all fish, and polychaetes. Caught primarily on
hook-and-line, spearing, and in traps.
Biology
Maximum total length to about 35 cm.
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.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-01-29. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Marketed
mostly fresh.
References
Hiatt, R.W. and D.W. Strasburg (1960) Ecological relationships of the fish fauna on coral reefs of the Marshall Islands. Ecol. Monogr. 30(1):65-127.
Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 506 p.
Fitch, J.E. and S.A. Schultz (1978) Some rare occurrences of fishes off California and Baja California. Calif. Fish Game 64(2):74-92.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
Hobson, E.S. (1974) Feeding relationships of teleostean fishes on coral reefs in Kona, Hawaii. Fish. Bull. 72(4):915-1031.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
Reiner, F. (1996) Catálogo dos peixes do arquipélago de Cabo Verde. Publ. Avuls. Inst. Port. Invest. Mar. 2:339 p.
Patzner, R.A. (2008) Reproductive strategies of fish. pp. 311-350. In Rocha, M.J., A. Arukwe and B.G. Kapoor (eds). Fish reproduction: cytology, biology and ecology. Science Publisher, Inc. Oxford. 631 p.
Fernandez-Silva, I. and H.-C. Ho (2017) Revision of the cicrumtropical glasseye fish Heteropriacanthus cruentatus (Perciformes: Priacanthidae), with resurrection of two species. Zootaxa 4273(3):341-361. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4273.3.2
Comments On Heteropriacanthus cruentatus