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Lutjanus campechanus

(Bream, Bream, Carribbean Red Snapper, Carribbean Red Snapper, Mexican Red Snapper, Mexican Red Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Northern Red Snapper, Northern Red Snapper, Pensacola Red Snapper, Pensacola Red Snapper, Red Snapper, Red Snapper)

Overview

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Family : Snappers ; Adults are found over rocky bottoms . Juveniles inhabit shallow waters, common over sand or muddy bottoms. Feeds mainly on fishes , shrimps, crabs, worms, cephalopods , and some planktonic items including urochordates and gastropods . Marketed fresh and eaten steamed, broiled and baked (Ref. 9988). Heavily exploited in American waters where it is now closely protected; shrimp fishing , accused of destroying young snappers, is currently restricted .

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Danish:

Rød Snapper, Rd Snapper

Common Names in Dutch:

Roodvis

Common Names in English:

Bream, Carribbean Red Snapper, Mexican Red Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Northern Pipefish, Northern Red Snapper, Pensacola Red Snapper, Red Snapper

Common Names in French:

Pagre Fine, Sarde Rouge, Vivaneau Campèche, Vivaneau Campche, Vivanot Jolle-Bleu

Common Names in German:

Schnapper, Snapper

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

勃氏笛鯛, 西大西洋笛鯛, 西大西洋笛鯛, 西大西洋笛鲷, 勃氏笛鯛, 勃氏笛鲷

Common Names in Papiamento:

Boca Negra, Cora, Pargo

Common Names in Portuguese:

Luciano-Do-Golfo, Vermelho

Common Names in Russian:

луциан красный, луциан красный

Common Names in Spanish:

Acara Aya, Chillo, Huachinango Del Golfo, Pargo, Pargo Colorado, Pargo Del Golfo, Pargo Guachinango, Pargo Real

Common Names in Swedish:

Red Snapper, Rd Snapper

Description

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Family Lutjanidae

Marine ; rarely estuarine . Some species do enter freshwater for feeding. Tropical and subtropical : Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Dorsal fin continuous or slightly notched . Spines in dorsal fin 10-12; soft rays 10-17. Three spines in anal fin; soft rays 7-11. Pelvic fins originating just behind pectoral base . Mouth moderate to large; terminal . Jaws bearing enlarged canine teeth. Palatine teeth small. Vomer usually with small teeth. Maxilla covered by preorbital with the mouth closed. Branchiostegal rays 7. Vertebrae 24 (10 + 14). To about 1 m maximum length . Most species are predators of crustaceans and fishes , several are planktivores . Most do well in aquaria , but grow too fast. Valued as food fish but sometimes a cause of ciguatera. Generally demersal , down to depths of about 450 m.The family Lutjanidae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and the Order Perciformes. It contains 17 genera and 103 species. It may be found in Marine, Brackish , and Freshwater environments and is primarily Marine. Some members of this family are used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are nonguarders. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is carangiform . Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be normal. Members of this family have been dated back to the Eocene epoch of the Tertiary period. Etymology of this family name : Malay, ikan lutjan, name of a fish

Physical Description

Species Lutjanus campechanus

Distinctive Features: This snapper has long pectoral fins and a truncate caudal fin. The first and second dorsal fins are continuous with a slight notch in between the two and the anal fin tapers to a point posteriorly. The pectoral fins are long and reach the anus when pressed against the body. They have a large head with small red eyes and a somewhat pointed snout.

Dentition: Although most teeth in the upper jaw are densely packed, fine, or hair like "villiform " teeth, there are several canine teeth present as well the latter constituting a definitive characteristic of all snappers . The lower jaw, which projects slightly beyond the upper, has larger villiform teeth .

Color:

The body and fins are pinkish red in color, lightening to a white underside. At a size less than 14 inches (35cm) northern red snapper have a dark spot on the upper sides below the anterior soft dorsal rays similar to a number of other snappers . And although they may most closely resemble the blackfin snapper (L. bucanella), the northern red snapper lacks the distinctive black spot found on the pectoral fins of the blackfin snapper. Juvenile red snapper may also exhibit bluish stripes on their sides.

Size/Age/Growth

The northern red snapper reaches an average length of 24 inches (60cm), with a maximum length of 39 inches (100cm) and may weigh up to 20 pounds . Sexual maturity is reached at 2 years, at which time northern red snapper are typically12-16 inches (30-40cm) in length. Maximum age is estimated at 40-50 years. This snapper grows approximately 4 inches per year for the first 6 years followed by a generally declining growth rate thereafter.

Habitat

The adult northern red snapper lives offshore on the continental shelf, over deep reefs, banks, and rocky bottoms . Populations residing amongst such three-dimensional structures are usually larger than those in smooth bottom areas. Adults of this species are found at depths of 33-620 feet (10 to 190m) with older, larger fish tending to prefer the cooler, deeper spots. The young live over sandy and muddy bottoms that provide a rich food supply of shellfish for the foraging juvenile fish. As the juveniles mature , they seek cover in the form of ledges, rocky outcroppings, and wrecks. During winter northern red snapper move offshore to avoid the cooler, shallow inshore waters .

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -4,997 meters (0 to -16,394 feet).Mean = 2,408.970 meters (7,903.445 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,553.870 based on 78 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Biome: Saltwater . Reef-associated .

Biology

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Diet

Both juvenile and adult northern red snapper are carnivorous , and adults are bottom-oriented predators . Juveniles commonly feed on zooplankton . But as they mature , their diet switches over to larger prey including shrimp, squid, and octopus . Adult northern red snapper feed on a variety of smaller fishes , crustaceans, and mollusks, which they find in flat bottom areas adjacent to the reefs

Reproduction

All snapper are oviparous . Northern red snapper spawn in areas away from reefs, at depths of 60-120 feet (18-37m) over flat sand bottom areas. The peak spawning period is June through August in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, and from August to September off southwestern Florida. Individual fish may spawn several times during the spawning season , and may produce over 9 million eggs during a single spawning event. Northern red snapper eggs are pelagic , spherical and transparent, measuring 0.8mm in diameter. After spawning, the eggs are buoyant , floating on the surface of the water. The eggs hatch 20-27 hours after fertilization. The larvae are very small (2.2mm) and vulnerable to starvation and predation . Initially planktonic, they begin to settle out of the water column after about 20 days. The larvae settle on areas with some protection from predators , such as open shell beds . Juveniles have bands below the dorsal fin, the darkest of which appears below the second dorsal fin. As the juveniles mature , they move to the reefs where they stay as adults .

Behavior

Predators:

Predators of adult northern red snapper include sharks and other large piscivorous fishes . Juvenile red snapper are prey for a wide variety of marine organisms .

Parasites:

Parasitic leeches have been found attached to the gills of the northern red snapper.

Taxonomy

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Ambiguous Synonyms

  1. Lutjanus aya (non Bloch, 1790)

Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Lutjanus blackfordii Goode & Bean, 1878
  2. Lutjanus campechanus (Poey, 1860)
  3. Lutjanus campechanus Poey
  4. Lutjanus campechianus Poey, 1860
  5. Mesoprion campechanus Poey, 1860

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Synonym: Mesoprion campechanus. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: June 22, 1994. Other common names : Spanish: Acara aya, Papiamento: Boca negra, Spanish: Chillo, Papiamento: Cora, Spanish: Huachinango del Golfo, Portuguese: Luciano-do-Golfo, French: Pagre fine, Papiamento: Pargo, Spanish: Pargo colorado, Spanish: Pargo del golfo, Spanish: Pargo del Golfo, Spanish: Pargo guachinango, Spanish: Pargo real, Swedish: Red snapper, Swedish: Rd snapper, Danish: Rd snapper, Dutch: Roodvis, French: Sarde rouge, German: Schnapper, German: Snapper, Portuguese: Vermelho, French: Vivaneau campche, French: Vivanot jolle-bleu, Russian: ?????? ???????



The famous Cuban ichthyologist , Felipe Poey described the northern red snapper in 1860 as Mesoprion campechanus. Synonyms include Lutjanus campechianus Poey 1870 and Lutjanus blackfordii Goode and Bean 1878. For many years, taxonomic confusion led numerous authors to incorrectly refer to this species as Lutjanus aya.

English language common names include northern red snapper, sow snapper, rat snapper, mule snapper, chicken snapper, gulf red snapper, american red snapper, caribbean red snapper, pensacola red snapper, mexican red snapper, red snapper, mutton snapper, and bream. Other common names are acara aya (Spanish), boca negra (Papiamento), chillo (Spanish), cora (Papiamento), huachinango del golfo (Spanish), luciano-do-golfo (Portuguese), pargre fine (French), pargo (Papiamento), pargo colorado (Spanish), pargo del golfo (Spanish), pargo guachinango (Spanish), parge real (Spanish), roodvis (Dutch), sarde rouge (French), vermelho (Portuguese), vivaneau campeche (French), vivanot jolle-bleu (French).

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Lutjanus

There are approximately 155 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

L. quinquelineatus · L. adetii (Hussar) · L. adetti · L. agennes (African Cubera Snapper) · L. aja · L. amabilis · L. ambiguus (Ambiguous Snapper) · L. amblycephus · L. amboinensis · L. analis (Mutton Fish) · L. apodus (Dogtooth Snapper) · L. aratus (Mullet Snapper) · L. argentanautatus · L. argentimaculatus (Mangrove Jack) · L. argentiventris (Amarillo Snapper) · L. argentiventrus · L. argentivittatus · L. argentriventris · L. argiventris · L. arnabilis · L. aurorubens · L. campechanus · L. behar · L. bengalensis (Bengal Snapper) · L. biguttatus (Two-Spot Banded Snapper) · L. bitaeniatus (Indonesian Snapper) · L. blackfordi · L. bleekeri · L. bohar (Kelp Sea Perch) · L. bonhamensis · L. boutton (Curry Fish) · L. synagris · L. bucannella · L. buccanella (Black Spot Snapper) · L. campechanus (Bream) · L. campecheanus · L. campeohanus · L. canis · L. canponotatus · L. carponatatus · L. carponotatus (Dusky-Striped Snapper) · L. caxis · L. chrenbergi · L. coatsi · L. sanguineus · L. coeruleolineatus (Blue Line Snapper) · L. coeruleovittatus · L. colorado (Colorado Snapper) · L. compechianus · L. cyanopterus (Canteen Snapper) · L. decessatus · L. decussates · L. decussatus (Checkered Seaperch) · L. dentatus (African Brown Snapper) · L. dodecacanthoides (Sunbeam Snapper) · L. dodecanthodes · L. duodecimlineatus · L. duodememliniatus · L. ehrenbergii (Blackspot Snapper) · L. ehrenburgi · L. endacacanthus · L. endecacanthus (Guinea Snapper) · L. endecacathus · L. entactus · L. erythropterus (Black) · L. favio · L. flavipes · L. fluviflamma · L. fulgens (Golden African Snapper) · L. fulvifamma · L. fulviflamma (Black Spot Snapper) · L. fulvus (Black-Tail Snapper) · L. fuscescens (Dusky Snapper) · L. gembra · L. gibbus (Humpback Red Snapper) · L. goldiei (Papuan Black Bass) · L. goreensis (Gorean Snapper) · L. griseus (Black Pargue) · L. griseusensis · L. guilcheri (Yellowfin Red Snapper) · L. guineensis · L. guttatus (Mutton Snapper) · L. hastingsi · L. inermis (Golden Snapper) · L. jacur · L. janthinupterus · L. jocu (Dog Snapper) · L. johnii (Golden Snapper) · L. jordani (Jordan's Snapper) · L. julvus · L. kasmira (Blue-Banded Snapper) · L. lemniscatus (Dark-Tailed Sea Perch) · L. lineata · L. lineatus · L. lunatus · L. lunulatus (Crescent Snapper) · L. lutjanus (Big-Eye Snapper) · L. luzonius · L. luzonus · L. madras (Indian Snapper)

Bibliography

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More Info

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 01, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

Last Revised: 2008-08-21