Priacanthidae

Most members of this family are native to tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, but four species (Cookeolus japonicus, Heteropriacanthus cruentatus, Priacanthus arenatus, and Pristigenys alta) are found in the Atlantic. They tend to live near rock outcroppings or reefs, although a few are known to inhabit open waters. Many species are found in relatively deep waters, below depths reachable by normal scuba diving. Some species are fished for food.

The earliest identified Priacanthidae fossils date to the middle Eocene epoch of the lower Tertiary period, or roughly 40 to 50 million years ago.

Species

The 18 species in four genera are:

• Genus Cookeolus Fowler, 1928
  • Cookeolus japonicus (Cuvier, 1829) - Longfinned bullseye
  • †Cookeolus spinolacrymatus Kon & Yoshino, 1997
• Genus Heteropriacanthus Fitch & Crooke, 1984
  • Heteropriacanthus cruentatus (Lacépède, 1801) - Glasseye
• Genus Priacanthus Oken, 1817
  • Priacanthus alalaua Jordan & Evermann, 1903 - Alalaua
  • Priacanthus arenatus Cuvier, 1829 - Atlantic bigeye
  • Priacanthus blochii Bleeker, 1853 - Paeony bulleye
  • Priacanthus fitchi Starnes, 1988
  • Priacanthus hamrur (Forsskål, 1775) - Moontail bullseye
  • Priacanthus macracanthus Cuvier, 1829 - Red bigeye
  • Priacanthus meeki Jenkins, 1903 - Hawaiian bigeye
  • Priacanthus nasca Starnes, 1988
  • Priacanthus prolixus Starnes, 1988 - Elongate bulleye
  • Priacanthus sagittarius Starnes, 1988 - Arrow bulleye
  • Priacanthus tayenus Richardson, 1846 - Purple-spotted bigeye
  • Priacanthus zaiserae Starnes & Moyer, 1988
  • † Priacanthus liui Tao, 1993
• Genus Pristigenys Agassiz 1835
  • Pristigenys alta (Gill, 1862) - Short bigeye
  • Pristigenys meyeri (Günther, 1872)
  • Pristigenys niphonia (Cuvier, 1829) - Japanese bigeye
  • Pristigenys serrula (Gilbert, 1891) - Popeye catalufa
  • †Pristigenys substriatus (Blainville, 1818)