Pristigenys alta

Pristigenys alta, the toro or short bigeye, is a species of fish in the family Priacanthidae.^[3] 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.

Pristigenys alta
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Acanthuriformes
Family:	Priacanthidae
Genus:	Pristigenys
Species:	P. alta
Binomial name
Pristigenys alta (Gill, 1862)
Synonyms[2]
Priacanthus altus Gill, 1862 Pseudopriacanthus altus (Gill, 1862)

Description

The most noticeable characteristic of Pristigenys alta is its very large eyes. This species is blunt, bright red, and ovate, with a flattened, disk-like body. It is commonly about 20 cm long, but can grow to a maximum length of 30 cm.^[4] It has rough scales, and large ventral fins.

• 
  Juvenile
• 
  Adult

Distribution

This species is found in the Western Atlantic along the east coast of North America from North Carolina southwards, the Gulf of Mexico, in the Caribbean Sea^[5] and West Indies.^[4]

Habitat

Pristigenys alta is a solitary marine fish that lives mainly in reef areas at depths of between 5 and 200 metres. It can also be found on rocky bottoms.^[4]