Description:

Dorsal spines: 10; Dorsal rays: 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal rays: 9.

Body oblong. Head profile strongly convex in front of eye, the snout sloping steeply. Eye large. Jaw reaching beyond vertical through anterior margin of eye.

Body bluish-grey grading to whitish ventrally. Scales with narrow dark margins. Lips yellow to pinkish. Area around eye (including snout, top of head and band of colour 
passing down edge of preopercle towards axil of pectoral fin) often yellow or orange. There is a large black blotch behind the pectoral-fin base. Pectoral fin is reddish. 
Dorsal and anal fins are greyish with a red margin and with black patches on the membranes between several rays. Caudal fin greyish brown with red posterior margin and 
distal dorsal and ventral edges. Adults are usually seen without any markings, but can quickly assume four broad blackish bars or saddles on the body. Juveniles have three 
black saddles separated by white bars on the upper half of the body. They have a prominent black bar through the eye.

Maturity: Lm 27.5 cm. Range unknown. Max Length: 60 cm Tl. Commonly 40 cm TL.

Inhabits coral reefs often on the periphery in sand and rubble areas (depth 1-100 m, usually 5-30 m).  Solitary individuals are often encountered, but large adults frequently 
form aggregations of up to about 50 individuals. Juveniles are usually solitary. Feeds nocturnally mainly upon gastropods, ophiuroids, and echinoids.
 

This species is not protected or subject to fishery regulations. It is caught in the hand line fishery, but is a rare component of the catch.
 

Bray, D.J. (2018).  Monotaxis grandoculis in Fishes of Australia, http://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2756 (16/05/19).
Carpenter, K.E. & Allen, G.R. (1989). FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 9 Emperor Fishes and Large-eye Breams of the World (Family Lethrinidae). An annotated and Illustrated 
Catalogue of Lethrinid Species Known to Date. UNFAO Rome. ISBN 92-5-102889-3
Carpenter, K.E. et al. (2016). Monotaxis grandoculis. The IUCN Red List 2016: http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T16720607A16722460.en. (15/05/19).
Froese, R. & D. Pauly. (Eds.) (2019). FishBase. https://www.fishbase.se/summary/1869 (15/05/19).
McGrouther, M. (2019). Bigeye Seabream, Monotaxis grandoculis (Forsskål, 1775) https://australianmuseum.net.au/learn/animals/fishes/bigeye-seabream-monotaxis-grandoculis/ (15/05/19).

Nevill, J.E.G. (2019). Monotaxis grandoculis, Humpnose big-eye bream. Seychelles Seatizens. www.seatizens.sc. https://seatizens.sc/species/monotaxis-grandoculis-forsskal-1775/ (edited 17/07/22).