Golden African snapper
A bright pink snapper with golden stripes from West Africa.
The golden African snapper (Lutjanus fulgens) is a marine ray-finned fish in the snapper family Lutjanidae. It lives in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, along the west coast of Africa from Senegal to Angola, with reports also from Cape Verde and the Gulf of Guinea islands.
First described in 1830 by French zoologist Achille Valenciennes, its type location is Gorée, Senegal. The species name *fulgens* means "bright" or "brilliant," referring to the vivid lower body color and the shining background hue crossed by 15 to 56 horizontal golden-yellow stripes.
This snapper has a moderately slender body, a short snout, a blunt head, and very large eyes. Its mouth reaches back to below the eye’s center. The vomerine teeth form a triangular patch with a clear rear extension. The preoperculum’s incision and knob are not well developed. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 13–14 soft rays; the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The pectoral fins are relatively short, not reaching the anus, and the caudal fin is emarginate. Maximum total length is 60 cm (24 in), though 50 cm (20 in) is more typical. The back and upper flanks are bright pink, while the lower flanks and abdomen are silvery white. Along the flanks, each scale row bears a longitudinal golden stripe.
A demersal species, it is found at depths from 5 to 150 m (16 to 492 ft), with adults living over rock substrates. It is a predator, feeding on other fishes and crustaceans.
The golden African snapper is caught by subsistence and commercial fisheries, mainly using trawl, hook and line, and spearfishing. In Ghana, it is an important coastal fish species and is mostly sold fresh.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Lutjanus fulgens
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The golden African snapper was first formally described in 1830 by French zoologist Achille Valenciennes, with the type locality given as Gorée in Senegal. Its specific name fulgens means 'bright' or 'brilliant', a reference to the vivid colour of its lower body and the shining background colour with 15-56 horizontal golden-yellow stripes. The species has a moderately slender body, a short snouted blunt head, very large eyes, and a mouth that extends back to below the centre of the eye. The vomerine teeth are arranged in a triangular patch with an obvious posterior extension, and the incision and knob on the preoperculum are not well developed. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 13-14 soft rays, the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays, the pectoral fins are relatively short and do not extend as far as the anus, and the caudal fin is emarginate. The colour of the back and upper flanks is bright pink, silvery white on lower flanks and abdomen, with longitudinal golden stripes along each scale row.
Reader's Guide
The golden African snapper is a demersal species found over rock substrates at depths between 5 and 150 m. It is a predatory species, feeding on other fishes and crustaceans. The species is targeted by subsistence and commercial fisheries, primarily using trawl, hook and line, and spearfishing. In Ghana, it is one of the important fish species utilised in the coastal zone and is mainly sold fresh. Its distribution along the west coast of Africa from Senegal to Nigeria and from the Gulf of Guinea south to Angola, with reports from Cape Verde and the islands in the Gulf of Guinea, underscores its regional significance. The species attains a maximum total length of 60 cm, though 50 cm is more typical. Its bright coloration and golden stripes make it visually distinctive among snappers.
Did You Know?
- The specific name fulgens means 'bright' or 'brilliant', referring to its vivid lower body color and 15-56 horizontal golden-yellow stripes.
- It was first described in 1830 by French zoologist Achille Valenciennes from a type specimen collected at Gorée, Senegal.
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