Common Name: Lunartail Bigeye

Distribution: Uncommon in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and southern Africa to French Polynesia, north to southern Japan, south to Australia. Reported from Easter Island. In Australia found from Geraldton, Western Australia, across the tropical north, the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef in Queensland to northern New South Wales, and including Lord Howe Island.

Ecological Notes: Frequents deeper offshore reefs and islands. Depth 8 – 250 m.

Additional Notes: Differentiated from other bigeye species by the emarginate caudal fin and a black spot at the base of the pelvic fin. May be encountered in small aggregations, usually near a near a coral bommie, overhang or other cover, sometimes occurring in schools in oceanic locations. Preys on small fish, crustaceans, small invertebrates. Grows to 45 cm.

References: Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=priacanthus+hamrur. Accessed 01/06/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/Priacanthus-hamrur.html Accessed 01/06/18.