Lutjanus argentimaculatus
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Lutjanidae (Snappers)
Lutjanus
Lutjanus argentimaculatus
Description
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Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal. This species is distinguished by the following characters: body moderately deep, greatest depth 2.3 - 2.7 in SL; preopercular notch poorly developed; vomerine tooth patch crescentic; gill rakers of first gill arch 6-8 + 9-12 = 16-20 (including rudiments); scale rows on back more or less parallel to lateral line, or parallel below spinous part of dorsal fin and sometimes rising obliquely posteriorly, or rarely with entirely oblique rows. Colour of the body generally greenish brown on back, grading to reddish; belly silvery or whitish (deep water specimens usually overall reddish); juveniles with a series of about 8 white and streaks 2 blue across cheeks (Ref. 9821, 90102). Striking features: none.
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: East Africa to Samoa and the Line Islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Australia. Has dispersed into the eastern Mediterranean (off Lebanon) via the Suez Canal but not well established there.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish, marine. reef-associated. depth range 1-120 m. Found in: streams, estuaries, mangroves, coral reefs.
Biology
A euryhaline species (Ref. 12743). Juveniles and young adults occur in mangrove estuaries, the lower reaches of freshwater streams (Ref. 30573, 48635, 44894) and tidal creeks (Ref. 44894). Adults are often found in groups around coral reefs (Ref. 9710). Eventually migrate offshore to deeper reef areas, sometimes penetrating to depths in excess of 100 m. Mainly nocturnal, this species feeds mostly on fishes and crustaceans. Excellent food fish (Ref. 5484, 44894). An important market species throughout the Indo-Pacific region, but never found in large quantities. A good aquaculture species because it doesn’t get rancid easily when frozen (Ref. 47992). It commands a good export market price with no limit on body size (Ref. 47992). No reported damaging diseases (Ref. 47992). Found in Hong Kong live fish markets (Ref. 27253). Caught mainly with handlines, bottom longlines, and trawls; marketed mostly fresh and dried-salted (Ref. 9821). Maximum length is 104 cm, max weight 14.5 kg and max age 39 years for specimens from the east coast of Australia (pers. comm., Andrew McDougall, 2007).
Max length: 150.0 cm TL; common length: 80.0 cm TL; max weight: 12000 g; max age: 31 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2015-03-04. Resilience: Medium (K=0.19; tmax=18).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish; aquaculture: commercial.
References
Allen, G.R. (1985) FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 6. Snappers of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lutjanid species known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(6):208 p. Rome: FAO.
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Allen, G.R. and J.H. Talbot (1985) Review of the snappers of the genus Lutjanus (Pisces Lutjanidae) from the Indo-Pacific with the description of a new species. Indo-Pac. Fish. (11):87.
Torres, F.S.B. Jr. (1991) Tabular data on marine fishes from Southern Africa, Part I. Length-weight relationships. Fishbyte 9(1):50-53.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Anderson, W.D. Jr. and G.R. Allen (2001) Lutjanidae. Jobfishes. p. 2840-2918. In K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Vol. 5. Bony fishes part 3 (Menidae to Pomacentridae). FAO, Rome.
Kulbicki, M., Y.-M. Bozec, P. Labrosse, Y. Letourneur, G. Mou-Tham and L. Wantiez (2005) Diet composition of carnivorous fishes from coral reef lagoons of New Caledonia. Aquat. Living Resour. 18:231-250.
Allen, G.R. and M.V. Erdmann (2012) Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth, Australia: Universitiy of Hawai'i Press, Volumes I-III. Tropical Reef Research.
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