Black and white snapper
A predatory snapper found in Indo-Pacific reefs, prized as food.
The black and white snapper (Macolor niger)—also called the black and white seaperch or black snapper—is a marine fish in the snapper family Lutjanidae. It lives in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, typically on steep outer slopes of lagoon reefs, in channels, and on seaward slopes, at depths from 2 to 90 meters.
Swedish-speaking Finnish explorer Peter Forsskål first described it in 1775 as *Sciaena nigra*, based on a specimen from Jeddah. Its species name *niger* means "black," referring to the adult's dark color. When Dutch scientist Pieter Bleeker created the genus *Macolor* in 1860, he used the name tautonymously for the type species, which was Cuvier's *Diacope macolor*, and unnecessarily renamed it *Macolor typus*.
This species has a broad Indo-Pacific range. In the Indian Ocean, it appears from the Red Sea down the eastern African coast to South Africa, plus the Seychelles, Mozambique Channel islands, Madagascar, the western Mascarenes, the Maldives, Laccadives, Chagos, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island, and Sri Lanka. In the Pacific, it occurs from western Malaysia, western Indonesia, and the Andaman Sea east to the Marshall Islands, Samoa, and Tonga, south to Australia, and north to central Japan. It has also been recorded from Niue and the Cook Islands.
Adults can reach 75 cm in total length, but most are under 35 cm. Its fins and eyes are black, while the body ranges from light grey to black depending on age. Juveniles are striped, turning completely black as adults. The body is relatively deep, with a convex head profile and a large mouth that reaches to the front of the eye. Each jaw has an outer band of conical teeth, enlarged into canine-like teeth at the front, with inner bands of bristle-like teeth. The vomerine teeth form a rough chevron without a rear extension. The preoperculum has a deep notch on its lower edge. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 13–15 soft rays; the anal fin has 3 spines and 10–11 soft rays. Both dorsal and anal fins have clearly pointed rear tips. The long pectoral fins reach the anus and have 17–18 rays; the caudal fin is emarginate.
Juveniles are solitary, while adults gather in large schools. It is a predator of fish and crustaceans. It spawns in aggregations. This species is often confused with the midnight snapper (*Macolor macularis*), and the two sometimes form mixed schools.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Macolor niger
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The black and white snapper was first formally described in 1775 as Sciaena nigra by the Swedish-speaking Finnish-born explorer and naturalist Peter Forsskål, with the type locality given as Jeddah. The specific name niger means 'black', a reference to the blackish colour of the adults. When the genus Macolor was described in 1860 by the Dutch physician, herpetologist and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker, he used the name Macolor tautonymously for the type species, which was Cuvier's Diacope macolor; Bleeker needlessly renamed D. macolor as Macolor typus.
The species has a wide Indo-Pacific range, occurring along the eastern coastline of Africa from the Red Sea south to South Africa, the Seychelles, islands in the Mozambique Channel, Madagascar and western Mascarenes, east to the Maldives, Laccadives, the Chagos Islands, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island and Sri Lanka. In the Pacific it occurs from western Malaysia, western Indonesia and the Andaman Sea east to the Marshall Islands, Samoa and Tonga, south to Australia and north to central Japan, and has also been recorded from Niue and the Cook Islands.
Juveniles are typically striped, changing to completely black when adult. The fins and eyes are black, and the body varies in color from light grey to black depending on age. The species has a relatively deep body, a convex dorsal profile of the head, and a large mouth extending back to the front of the eye. Each jaw has an outer band of conical teeth enlarged into canine-like teeth at the front, with inner bands of bristle-like teeth. The vomerine teeth are arranged in a rough chevron with no median posterior extension, and there is a deep incision on the lower margin of the preoperculum.
Reader's Guide
The black and white snapper is notable as a food fish prized both commercially and recreationally, and it also appears in the aquarium trade. Its biology includes solitary juveniles that aggregate into large schools as adults, and it preys on fishes and crustaceans. The species gathers in aggregations to spawn. It is frequently confused with its congener the midnight snapper (Macolor macularis), with which it is known to form mixed aggregations. The species was originally described by Peter Forsskål in 1775, and its genus Macolor was later established by Pieter Bleeker in 1860. The black and white snapper's wide Indo-Pacific distribution and its role in both subsistence and sport fisheries underscore its ecological and economic importance. Its distinctive color change from striped juveniles to uniformly black adults, along with its deep body and pointed dorsal and anal fins, aid in identification. The species' occurrence on steep outer reef slopes and channels at depths up to 90 meters highlights its habitat preferences within coral reef ecosystems.
Did You Know?
- The black and white snapper was first described in 1775 by Peter Forsskål as Sciaena nigra, with the type locality given as Jeddah.
- Its specific name niger means 'black', referring to the blackish colour of the adults.
- This species is frequently confused with the midnight snapper (Macolor macularis), with which it forms mixed aggregations.
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