Alfonsinos have large eyes and deep, compressed bodies, with blood-red fins, and generally silvery-red bodies. This is a common adaptation to deepwater surroundings, where red is filtered out of the light spectrum.
This and several other species of the genus Beryx, like the splendid alfonsino are commercially harvested throughout the world, often distributed under the names of imperador, red bream, and Tasmanian snapper.