Little Red Riding Hood eyed the creature under the covers and suspected something was amiss.

“My what big eyes you have,” she exclaimed to the wolf-turned-grandmother in her nanny’s bed. 

“The better to see you with,” intoned the impostor in granny’s clothes.

But as we know, Little Red had the wool pulled over her eyes and was quickly eaten by the wily wolf. She did eventually have the last laugh after surviving the swallowing and popping out of the stomach of the beast after he was killed by the woodsman.

Bigeyes and red coloring are keys to the identity of another wild animal hiding in plain sight. This one was not the stuff of folklore, even if it was out of its element. Cottage City Oysterer Dan Martino came upon a confusing creature during the course of his day, but this one was on the water and not in the forest.

It was also a case of mistaken identity. In his oyster cages, two unfamiliar fishes had been caught. The out of the ordinary bycatch had large eyes and were reddish, though in a video on his Instagram page they also appeared silverish. First described as tropical squirrelfish, I was all in on sharing this far-from-home find.

However, after watching and rewatching the video and receiving a still photo from Dan, I wondered if it might be another tropical variety. I am no ichthyologist, so reached out to Dr. Greg Skomal, senior fisheries scientist at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. While recognized for his shark research, Dr. Skomal also knows fish.

His conclusion was Atlantic Bigeye, Priacanthus arenatus. Atlantic Bigeye, also known as catalufa, toro, toro snapper, (and my favorites, Johnny diggens, google eye, and moonshine conga), is not the Atlantic Bigeye tuna local that anglers seek. This one hails from the tropics.

This bigeye species generally ranges from South America north to the Carolinas. It only occasionally finds its way up to our area when it gets caught in the Gulf Stream. Unfortunately, it won’t survive for long in our waters as the temperatures are too cold, though that could change as climate change warms our waters.

A smallish fish, only growing to about 14 inches, these predators hang out in groups on coral reefs and rocky bottoms. Bigeyes feed at night on small fish, crustaceans and sea worms, and are prey for other species (including humans), though they may be associated with ciguatera poisoning. 

Bigeye’s main fishery is recreational, though these fish are occasionally found as bycatches in commercial operations.

As their name implies, bigeye’s main feature is their large eyes and, like Little Red Riding Hood, are known for that ruddy color. Interesting and confusingly, these fish can change their appearance from red to pink to white in seconds, believed to be a form of communication or camouflage, as they appear lighter during the day and darker at night. Another clue for identification besides color is scent. This fish reportedly has a somewhat foul, rotting garbage odor when caught.

Dan Martino released the fishes in the Lagoon, hoping they might find a warmish spot in which to overwinter, though he acknowledged that they might not make it due to the dropping water temperatures. Whatever the future of this foreign fish, it won’t be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, it is a danger only to itself. Like Little Red Riding Hood, these fishes were in over their head, and found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Suzan Bellincampi is director of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown, and author of Martha’s Vineyard: A Field Guide to Island Nature and The Nature of Martha’s Vineyard.