Blackfin snapper
A commercially important snapper with a dark comma at the pectoral fin.
The blackfin snapper (Lutjanus buccanella) goes by many names—blackspot snapper, blackfin red snapper, gun-mouth backfin, gun-mouth snapper, redfish, and wrenchman. This marine ray-finned fish belongs to the snapper family Lutjanidae and lives in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is important to commercial fisheries, but people should be aware that it has been linked to ciguatera poisoning.
French zoologist Georges Cuvier first described the species in 1828, calling it *Mesoprion buccanella*. He listed the type locations as Martinique and St. Thomas Island in the West Indies. The species name comes from the local Martinique name for the fish, *boucanella*.
The blackfin snapper has the typical almond-shaped, deep, and laterally compressed body of *Lutjanus* snappers. Its dorsal fin is continuous but split into two lobes, the tail fin is blunt, the pectoral fins are long, and the anal fin is rounded. The mouth is large, with a slightly protrusible upper jaw that tucks under the cheekbone when closed. Each jaw has at least one row of pointed, conical teeth, some of which are enlarged into canines. The vomerine teeth form a chevron shape with a rear extension down the roof of the mouth, and there is a single tooth patch on each side. The preopercular notch and knob are not well developed. Scale rows on the back run diagonally from the lateral line. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 14 soft rays, with a slight notch after the spines; the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The largest recorded total length is 75 cm (30 in), though 50 cm (20 in) is more typical, and the maximum published weight is 14.0 kg (30.9 lb). Overall, the fish is red, fading to silvery-red on the belly. The tail, anal, and pelvic fins are yellowish. A dark, comma-shaped mark at the base of the pectoral fins gives the fish its most common name. Juveniles look like adults but have a bright yellow patch on the upper part of the tail stalk.
This species is found in the western Atlantic, from Bermuda and North Carolina south along the U.S. coast to the Bahamas, then west into the Gulf of Mexico from the Florida Keys, the Flower Garden Banks, and nearby areas to Veracruz, Mexico, south to the northern Yucatán Peninsula and northwestern Cuba. It also lives throughout the Caribbean Sea and along the South American coast as far south as São Paulo, Brazil.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Lutjanus buccanella
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The blackfin snapper was first formally described as Mesoprion buccanella in 1828 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier, with the type locality given jointly as Martinique and St Thomas Island in the West Indies. The specific name is based on the local name for this species on Martinique, boucanella. The overall colour of this species is red fading to silvery-red on the abdomen, with yellowish caudal, anal and pelvic fins. An obvious dark comma at the base of the pectoral fins gave this fish its most widely accepted common name. Juveniles resemble the adults but have a wide vivid yellow patch on the dorsal part of the caudal peduncle.
The blackfin snapper has the typical almond-shaped body of snappers in the genus Lutjanus, with a relatively deep and laterally compressed body. The dorsal fin is continuous but has two lobes, the caudal fin is truncate, the pectoral fins are long, and the anal fin is rounded. The mouth is large with a slightly protrusible upper jaw, and each jaw has at least one row of pointed conical teeth, some of which have developed into canines. The vomerine teeth are arranged in a chevron with a posterior extension. The preopercular incision and knob are poorly developed. The scale rows on the back extend diagonally from the lateral line.
Reader's Guide
The blackfin snapper is considered a good fish for eating and is mainly sold at market as fresh fish. It is caught as part of a mixed snapper catch using traps, handlines and longlines. There have been reports of ciguatera poisoning after consumption of this species. Although it is suspected that some populations may have declined, there is almost no statistics on landings or abundance for this species. The deeper habitats and resultant specialised fishing equipment required to catch this species offer some protection from overexploitation. As there is not enough information on the population status of this species, the IUCN lists it as Data Deficient. The blackfin snapper is a social species that can aggregate in small schools. It is a predator feeding opportunistically near the sea bed; adults' diet is dominated by smaller fishes, while juveniles feed more on invertebrates including shrimp and worms, eating more fish as they grow. This species has been recorded as spawning throughout the year, with peaks in April and September, mainly off Jamaica, and the eggs are pelagic. It has a number of predators throughout its life including other snappers, sharks, barracudas, groupers and moray eels.
Did You Know?
- Its specific name buccanella is based on the local name boucanella from Martinique.
- The maximum published weight for this species is 14.0 kg (30.9 lb).
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