HETEROPRIACANTHUS CAROLINUS - (CUVIER, 1829)
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Acanthuriformes (Order) > Priacanthidae (Family) > Heteropriacanthus (Genus)
Priacanthe des Carolines, Pacific glasseye, Blotched bigeye, Duskyfin bigeye, Glass bigeye, Glasseye, Glasseye snapper, Red big-eye,
Synonymes
Priacanthus argenteus (Cuvier, 1829)
Priacanthus bleekeri (Castelnau, 1873)
Priacanthus carolinus (Cuvier, 1829)
----------------------------
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 14; Pectoral fin rays: 17-19; Pored lateral line scales: 59-78 (usually: 66); Axial scale rows: 81-96 (usually: 85); Scale rows between the origin of the dorsal fin and the lateral line: 10-12 (mainly: 11); Scale rows between the lateral line and the origin of the anal fin: 49-57 (usually: 52). Total gill rakers: 21-25 + 4-6 on the upper limb and 16-19 on the lower limb. Body relatively narrow, compressed, ovate in lateral profile, dorsal profile flattened along the dorsal fin base, and ventral profile curved. Body depth at mid-trunk: 2.4-2.9 in SL. When the mouth is closed, the upper end of the lower jaw at about the same level as the midline of body. Body thick, body width: 5.0-6.2 in SL. Caudal peduncle relatively long, its length: 6.6-8.6 in SL and 2.5-3.2 in body depth; Its depth: 9.9-12.0 in SL. Head moderately large, its length: 2.6-3.1 in SL, 1.0-1.3 in body depth, with dorsal profile gradually rising to the origin of the dorsal fin. Eye large, eye diameter: 2.0-2.6 in HL; Interorbital space moderately broad, well convex, its width: 3.3-4.1 in HL; Snout short, smaller than the eye, its length: 3.2-3.9 in HL. Mouth moderately large, strongly oblique; Maxilla broad posteriorly and relatively exposed; Posterior end of maxilla below the anterior half of eye; Lower jaw upturned, strongly projecting. Upper jaw length: 1.9-2.0 in HL. Nostrils close to each other, located close to the eye at its upper margin; anterior nostril small and rounded, with a posterior fleshy rim covering the entire nostril when fully folded anteriorly; Posterior nostril a transverse slit, its height about a fourth of the eye diameter. Dentary, premaxilla, vomer and palatine with small conical teeth. Opercle with a flat, blunt triangular spine at the center of the posterior margin, with 2-4 fine serrae on the tip (some with a blunt tip). Fine serrae on posterior and lower margins of the preopercle, those on the lower margin slightly stronger than those on the posterior margin, both meeting at an angle and forming a flat; Blunt elongate spine, its tip reaching or over the posterior margin of the interopercle or subopercle. One additional finely serrate ridge above the lower margin of the preopercle, ending near the tip of the preopercular spine. Lower part of the posterior margins of the subopercle and the posterior margin of the interopercle smooth or with very weak serration, mostly covered by membranes. A deep notch on the posterior portion of the interopercle covered by the preopercular spine; A narrow gap between the subopercle and interopercle. Max. length: 32.0 cm TL. Depth range: 3 - 300 m, usually: 3 - 35 m.
Color
Body bright red with bright, silver patches usually present. Many black dots on the posterior portions of the dorsal and anal fins and most of the caudal fin. All fins with black margins.
Etymology
Heteropriacanthus: from Greek, heteros = other + from Greek, prion = saw + from Greek, akantha = thorn, prickle, spine. Referring to its being different “in numerous salient features” from other Priacanthus.
Carolinus: from the type locality, Carolines Islands. Caroline is the easternmost island in the central Pacific republic of Kiribati.
Original description: Priacanthus carolinus Cuvier, 1829 - Type locality: Oualan, Caroline Islands, western Pacific.
Distribution
Biology
Present in lagoons and seaward reefs, usually sheltering under or near ledges and coral heads during the day. Individuals often form large feeding aggregations at dusk. Feeds mainly at night on larval fishes, crustaceans, polychaetes and cephalopods.
Similar species
Priacanthe des Carolines, Pacific glasseye, Blotched bigeye, Duskyfin bigeye, Glass bigeye, Glasseye, Glasseye snapper, Red big-eye,
Synonymes
Priacanthus argenteus (Cuvier, 1829)
Priacanthus bleekeri (Castelnau, 1873)
Priacanthus carolinus (Cuvier, 1829)
----------------------------
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 14; Pectoral fin rays: 17-19; Pored lateral line scales: 59-78 (usually: 66); Axial scale rows: 81-96 (usually: 85); Scale rows between the origin of the dorsal fin and the lateral line: 10-12 (mainly: 11); Scale rows between the lateral line and the origin of the anal fin: 49-57 (usually: 52). Total gill rakers: 21-25 + 4-6 on the upper limb and 16-19 on the lower limb. Body relatively narrow, compressed, ovate in lateral profile, dorsal profile flattened along the dorsal fin base, and ventral profile curved. Body depth at mid-trunk: 2.4-2.9 in SL. When the mouth is closed, the upper end of the lower jaw at about the same level as the midline of body. Body thick, body width: 5.0-6.2 in SL. Caudal peduncle relatively long, its length: 6.6-8.6 in SL and 2.5-3.2 in body depth; Its depth: 9.9-12.0 in SL. Head moderately large, its length: 2.6-3.1 in SL, 1.0-1.3 in body depth, with dorsal profile gradually rising to the origin of the dorsal fin. Eye large, eye diameter: 2.0-2.6 in HL; Interorbital space moderately broad, well convex, its width: 3.3-4.1 in HL; Snout short, smaller than the eye, its length: 3.2-3.9 in HL. Mouth moderately large, strongly oblique; Maxilla broad posteriorly and relatively exposed; Posterior end of maxilla below the anterior half of eye; Lower jaw upturned, strongly projecting. Upper jaw length: 1.9-2.0 in HL. Nostrils close to each other, located close to the eye at its upper margin; anterior nostril small and rounded, with a posterior fleshy rim covering the entire nostril when fully folded anteriorly; Posterior nostril a transverse slit, its height about a fourth of the eye diameter. Dentary, premaxilla, vomer and palatine with small conical teeth. Opercle with a flat, blunt triangular spine at the center of the posterior margin, with 2-4 fine serrae on the tip (some with a blunt tip). Fine serrae on posterior and lower margins of the preopercle, those on the lower margin slightly stronger than those on the posterior margin, both meeting at an angle and forming a flat; Blunt elongate spine, its tip reaching or over the posterior margin of the interopercle or subopercle. One additional finely serrate ridge above the lower margin of the preopercle, ending near the tip of the preopercular spine. Lower part of the posterior margins of the subopercle and the posterior margin of the interopercle smooth or with very weak serration, mostly covered by membranes. A deep notch on the posterior portion of the interopercle covered by the preopercular spine; A narrow gap between the subopercle and interopercle. Max. length: 32.0 cm TL. Depth range: 3 - 300 m, usually: 3 - 35 m.
Color
Body bright red with bright, silver patches usually present. Many black dots on the posterior portions of the dorsal and anal fins and most of the caudal fin. All fins with black margins.
Etymology
Heteropriacanthus: from Greek, heteros = other + from Greek, prion = saw + from Greek, akantha = thorn, prickle, spine. Referring to its being different “in numerous salient features” from other Priacanthus.
Carolinus: from the type locality, Carolines Islands. Caroline is the easternmost island in the central Pacific republic of Kiribati.
Original description: Priacanthus carolinus Cuvier, 1829 - Type locality: Oualan, Caroline Islands, western Pacific.
Distribution
Indo-Pacific Ocean: South Africa and East Africa, Madagascar and Mascarenes, east to Australia, New Caledonia and Hawaiian Islands (U.S.A.).
Eastern Pacific: southern California (U.S.A.) south to Panama, including Galapagos Islands (Ecuador).
Biology
Present in lagoons and seaward reefs, usually sheltering under or near ledges and coral heads during the day. Individuals often form large feeding aggregations at dusk. Feeds mainly at night on larval fishes, crustaceans, polychaetes and cephalopods.
Similar species
- Priacanthus hamrur (Fabricius, 1775) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the specie (here) - Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-15 (usually: 14); Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 13-16; Pectoral rays: 17-20 (usually: 18-19). Red on body, head, and iris of eye; Sometimes silvery white with pattern of broad reddish bars on head and body.
- Priacanthus macracanthus (Cuvier, 1829) - Reported from New Caledonia - Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-14; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 13-14. Medium-sized fish of moderately deep body. The eyes large; The mouth oblique, with the lower jaw projecting upwards. The body tapers very slightly to beneath the middle of the soft portion of the dorsal fin, and then abruptly to the peduncle. Presence of numerous rusty brown to yellowish spots in the membranes of the dorsal and anal fins.
- Priacanthus sagittarius (Starnes, 1988) - Reported from New Caledonia - Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-14; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 13-15. The head and body reddish silvery or, alternately, pale yellowish with gray mottling; The iris of the eye pink to bright red. The dorsal, anal, and caudal fins pink with reddish-brown spots in the membranes, or yellowish with dusky spots. Pointed soft dorsal and anal fins, and black membrane between the first and the second dorsal spine.
- Priacanthus blochii (Bleeker, 1853) - Reported from Southern Red Sea; Indo-West Pacific: KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), Gulf of Aden, Persian Gulf, Socotra (Yemen), Seychelles and Comoros east to Philippines and Samoa, south to Western Australia and Queensland (Australia). Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-14; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 13-16. Variable from plain reddish-brown to a silvery, with red blotches or bands.
Last update: 23, March 2023