''Pristipomoides macrophthalmus'', the cardinal snapper or bigeye snapper, is a species of ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

Taxonomy

''Pristipomoides macrophthalmus'' was first formally described in 1848 as ''Centropristis macrophthalmus'' by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

zoologists This is a list of notable zoologists who have published names of new taxa under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. A * Abe – Tokiharu Abe (1911–1996) * Abeille de Perrin, Ab. – Elzéar Abeille de Perrin (1843–1910) * ...

Johannes Peter Müller and Franz Herman Troschel with the type locality given as Barbados. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''macrophthalmus'' means “large eyed” and refers to the eyes being larger than the intraorbital area. In 1862 Theodore N. Gill used Poey’s ''Mesoprion vorax'', a

junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

of ''C. macrophthalmus'', as the type species of the genus ''Platyinius'', which is now regarded as a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

of ''

Pristipomoides ''Pristipomoides'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lutjanidae, the snappers. They are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. Taxonomy ''Pristipomoides'' was created by the Dutch ichthyologist, herpeto ...

''.

Description

''Pristipomoides macrophthalmus'' has a moderately deep oblong body, its depth being typically over a third of its standard length, which is

fusiform Fusiform means having a spindle-like shape that is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends. It is similar to the lemon-shape, but often implies a focal broadening of a structure that continues from one or both ends, such as an aneurysm on a b ...

. It has a large mouth which has a slightly protruding upper jaw. The eyes are large, the space between the eyes is flattened and the snout is short and blunt. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 11 soft rays while the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

contains 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The last soft ray of each of these fins is extended into a short filament. The pectoral fins are long,extending as far as the anus and contain 15 or 16 rays, and the caudal fin is forked. the back and upper flanks are pink in colour with a silvery hue, shading to silvery on the lower flanks and abdomen; the fins vary from translucent to pink. This species attains a maximum total length of , although is more typical.

Distribution and habitat

''Pristipomoides macrophthalmus'' occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean where it is found from Bermuda and southeastern Florida and Louisiana south through the Gulf of Mexico to

Campeche Campeche (; yua, Kaampech ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Campeche), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by ...

and Cuba. It is also found in the Caribbean Sea from Cuba to St Lucia and along the coast of Centra and South America from Nicaragua to La Guajira, Colombia. They are benthopelagic and are found at depths from over soft and semi-hard substrates.

Biology

''Pristipomoides macrophthalmus'' has a poorly known biology. Like other snappers it is a predatory species which feeds on smaller fishes and larger zooplankton. Off Puerto Rico it breeds throughout the year, peaking in March and December. Sexual maturity is attained off Florida at a fork length of .

Fisheries

''Pristipomoides macrophthalmus'' is not regarded as a primary target species within its range, it is caught as bycatch or is targeted when the stocks of other snappers are depleted. In Puerto Rico it became a target species when stocks of ''

Lutjanus vivanus The silk snapper (''Lutjanus vivanus''), the West Indian snapper, yellow-eyed snapper or yellow-eyed red snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean. T ...

'' underwent a significant decrease. it is caught using handlines and bottom trawls and the catch is normally sold fresh.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2706169 macrophthalmus Fish described in 1848