| Family: |
Lutjanidae (Snappers), subfamily: Lutjaninae |
| Max. size: |
100 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 23 kg; max. reported age: 13 years |
| Environment: |
reef-associated; marine; depth range 9 - 100 m |
| Distribution: |
Western Indian Ocean: Red Sea east to the Arabian Sea and south to Natal, South Africa. Records of this species from the eastern Indian Ocean and the Western Central Pacific are probably misidentifications of Lutjanus malabaricus (Ref. 55). Has been misidentified as Lutjanus coccineus by recent authors. |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 10-10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-14; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 8-9. Dorsal profile of head angular, snout steeply sloped. Preorbital bone broad, with horizontal grooves behind and below the eye. Anterior and posterior nostrils widely spaced. Preopercular notch and knob poorly developed. Scale rows on back rising obliquely above lateral line. Juveniles with a broad brown bar from upper jaw to beginning of dorsal fin and a series of reddish horizontal lines on sides. |
| Biology: |
Adults inhabit coral and rocky reefs to depths of at least 100 m (Ref. 30573). Off South Africa they display a preference for slightly silty, turbid regions in the vicinity of sometimes shallow, offshore banks. Captured mainly at night on coral banks off Mafia Island (Tanzania) in 9 to 12 m and off Zanzibar in about 75 m. They are active at night feeding over sandy or rubble bottoms (Ref. 9710). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 28 June 2018 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.
