bigeye

/big"uy'/, n., pl. (esp. collectively) bigeye, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) bigeyes.

any of several silver and red fishes of the family Priacanthidae, found in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean and in the West Indies, having a short, flattened body and large eyes.

[1885-90; BIG¹ + EYE]

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▪ fish

      any of about 18 species of marine fishes comprising the family Priacanthidae (order Perciformes). Some members of the family are also known as catalufas. Most bigeyes are bright red in colour, but many species can change from a pale hue to a deep, mottled shade. Most have large round eyes. Representatives of the family are found in tropical and subtropical marine environments in all of the major oceans. Most species are carnivorous and nocturnal. In the Atlantic the common bigeye (Priacanthus arenatus) attains a length of about 41 cm (16 inches). The glasseye snapper (P. cruentatus), also called the catalufa, about 30 cm long, is found in both the Atlantic and Pacific. The popeye catalufa (Pristigenys serrula) is a Pacific ocean species.

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