Description: Body relatively deep and compressed. Eyes very large; mouth large and oblique; the lower jaw strongly projecting. A well developed spine at the corner of the preopercle. Dorsal fin continuous. Silvery pink, mottled red or solid red in color; median fins with faint dark dots. Pelvic fins dusky or pale and without distinct spots. Pelagic juveniles are silver with dark blotches and two well defined dark spots on the base of the caudal fin.
Global Distribution: Circumglobal in tropical and subtropical waters. In the eastern Atlantic in occurs from Madeira to St. Helena islands. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum length 50.7 cm (total length); common length 20.0 cm (standard length); maximum published weight 2.7 kg.
Behavioural ecology: Nocturnal. Usually solitary. During the day it hides in caves or crevices or among rocks, singly or in small group. It comes out at night to feed, and may gather in larger numbers. Known to produce sounds.
Population structure & migrations:
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: FishBase: 3 - 300 m, usually 3 - 35 m.
Habitat: Reef-associated. Common in lagoon and seaward reefs, primarily around islands. Under or near ledges by day. Benthopelagic. Juvenile pelagic.
Feeding habits: Feeds mainly on octopi, pelagic shrimps, stomatopods, crabs, small fish, and polychaetes.
González J., Hernández C., Marrero P., Rapp E. (2000). Peces de Canarias: GuÃa Submarina (5th edition). Francisco Lemus Editor, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canarias, Spain, 235 pp.
Hureau J.-C., ed. (1984-1985). Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. UNESCO. Accessed through: Marine Species Identification Portal. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://species-identification.org (2014).
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
McEachran J.D., Fechhelm J.D. (2006). Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Vol. 2. Scorpaeniformes to Tetraodontiformes. University of Texas Press, Texas, USA, 1008 pp.
