Apsilus

Apsilus is a small genus of marine ray-finned fish in the snapper family, Lutjanidae. Its two species are found in the Atlantic Ocean.

These are medium-sized snappers with a fusiform body shape, which may be either slender or relatively deep, but are always robust. Their jaws contain bands of moderately sized teeth—conical or bristle-shaped—with the outer row enlarged.

The dorsal fin is continuous, without a notch between its spiny and soft-rayed sections, and has 10 spines and 9 or 10 soft rays. The anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The dorsal and anal fins lack scales, while the caudal fin is scaled and may be forked or emarginate.

Apsilus species inhabit waters between 30 and 300 meters deep, typically over rocky substrates. They can be solitary or form aggregations, feeding on small fish, squid, benthic crustaceans, and larger zooplankton.

The recognized species are Apsilus dentatus (black snapper) and Apsilus fuscus (African forktail snapper). The African forktail snapper has been reported from the Indian Ocean, but these records are questionable.

The genus was created in 1830 by French zoologist Achille Valenciennes when he described A. fuscus from the Cape Verde Islands. In 1980, G. David Johnson designated the subfamily Apsilinae within Lutjanidae, using Apsilus as its type genus. The name Apsilus combines the Greek a ("not") and psilos ("naked" or "bald"); Valenciennes did not explain the allusion, though these fish have scales only on the caudal fin, not on the other fins.