Madeira Canary Islands Azores – Fishes Dr. Peter Wirtz

A species of the open sea that can only rarely be seen at the coast. Bluefish are predators that hunt in groups or
alone. They are notorious for being particularly “blood thirsty”. Bluefish preying on a school of fish allegedly
kill more animals than they can eat and leave behind „a cloud of blood“. Photo Peter Wirtz.
64
Bigeyes (Priacanthidae)
Glasseye (Heteropriacanthus cruentatus)
Up to 30 cm long. Madeira, Canary Islands. 5 – 300 m depth.
With their large, strongly reflecting eyes, Bigeyes are typical fish that are active during the night. During the
day, they hide in caves and in other dark places. The colour of the Glasseye can be completely red, red-spotted
(photo) or silvery. Glasseye are often plagued by parasitic isopod crustaceans; the animal in the photo has
several individuals of Nerocila acuminata on its tail. Photo Peter Wirtz.
Atlantic bigeye (Priacanthus arenatus)
Up to 30 cm long. Madeira, Canary Islands, Azores. 10 – 200 m depth.
On first glance, this species is very similar to the previous one. Looking closer, however, one can see quite a
few differences. The Glasseye has a higher back and only the Atlantic bigeye has a black spot at the base of
the pelvic fins. The colour of the Atlantic Bigeye can also vary from red to silvery but the pattern with the
drop-shaped red spots (above) is never seen in this species. In our area, the Atlantic bigeye is rare; at the Cape
Verde Islands, one can often see schools of juveniles numbering several thousand individuals in the open
water. Photo Peter Wirtz.