Fish
Blue-lined Large-eyed Emperor
Gymnocranius grandoculis
A silvery deep-bodied emperor with a very large eye and faint blue lines about the head, ranging into the warm waters off our east coast.
- Habitat
- Reef and adjacent sand
This is one of the large-eyed emperors, a group set apart by their tall, compressed silvery bodies, steep foreheads and notably big eyes. The common name points to the fine bluish markings that trace the head and cheek in fresh fish.
It is a bottom-associated species of warmer reef and sand country, feeding on invertebrates it picks from the seabed. Like others of its kind it holds near structure and is taken by anglers and spearos working deeper reef margins.