''Priacanthus arenatus'', the toro or Atlantic bigeye, is a species of marine

ray finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

, a

bigeye The Priacanthidae, the bigeyes, are a family of 18 species of marine ray-finned fishes. " Catalufa" is an alternate common name for some members of the Priacanthidae. The etymology of the scientific name (, to bite + , thorn) refers to the fam ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Priacanthidae The Priacanthidae, the bigeyes, are a family of 18 species of marine ray-finned fishes. " Catalufa" is an alternate common name for some members of the Priacanthidae. The etymology of the scientific name (, to bite + , thorn) refers to the fam ...

. Some anglers refer to this fish as "toro snapper", but it is not a snapper, and only distantly related to the fish of the snapper family. It is found across much of the

Atlantic ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

Description

The Atlantic bigeye is a small to medium sized perciform fish. Almost all parts of the fish are entirely reddish-orange, including the eyes. The dorsal fin has 10 spines, and 14 rays. The anal fin has 3 spines and 15 rays. Atlantic bigeye are commonly found at around 14 in. The IGFA world record is 50 cm, or about 20", caught in 2001. The eyes of the Atlantic bigeye are large, due to being primarily nocturnal feeders. Atlantic bigeye form small aggregations near the bottom of the ocean at night.

Distribution

Atlantic bigeye are widely distributed across both the Northern and Southern Atlantic Ocean. It is widely distributed throughout the subtropical and tropical regions of the Atlantic. In the Western Atlantic, the Atlantic bigeye is distributed from the Northeastern United States to Northern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Juvenile fish in the Western Atlantic occasionally stray as far North as

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

due to the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Current, North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida a ...

, though these fish do not stay for long in the area as the Atlantic bigeye cannot survive cold water temperatures. In the Eastern Atlantic, they are found from West

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

to Northern

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

. A single individual was reported in the Mediterranean Sea off Sardinia, Italy, in 1979.Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea (Priacanthus arenatus). 2nd Edition. 2021. 366p. CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco.https://ciesm.org/atlas/fishes_2nd_edition/Priacanthus_arenatus.pdf They are found at several levels of the water column, from 10 m to over 250 m, though they most commonly occur between 30 m and 50 m. Juveniles tend to be pelagic in the upper levels of the water column.

Habitat and biology

The Atlantic bigeye lives on rocky bottom ocean floors and coral reefs. It prefers the outer reef slopes in comparison to many smaller reef fish, and is also common around rocky outcrops on the continental shelf. It is primarily a nocturnal feeder. It's diet consists of small fish,

bristle worms Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made ...

and crustaceans. Most of the prey is the larvae of other reef animals. Atlantic bigeye specimens are hard to collect and observe for science, as they are primarily nocturnal, and skittish.

Uses

Atlantic bigeye are a minor commercial species, often caught as

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...

. Low numbers are taken by trawling, spearing, and hook-and-line. The flesh is marketed fresh, and is considered to be of excellent quality. Atlantic bigeye is also occasionally targeted by recreational anglers who fish at night, though many consider it a nuisance fish as they are very common bycatch while fishing for much larger porgy,

grouper Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is u ...

or snapper. It also reportedly has a foul odor when caught, reminiscent of rotting garbage.

References

External links

Fish described in 1829 arenatus Taxa named by Georges Cuvier {{Perciformes-stub