Common bluestripe snapper

The common bluestripe snapper (Lutjanus kasmira) goes by many names: bluestripe snapper, bluebanded snapper, bluestripe sea perch, fourline snapper, blue-line snapper, and moonlighter. It belongs to the snapper family, Lutjanidae. Its natural range stretches from the coast of Africa and the Red Sea, across the Indian Ocean, to the central Pacific. People catch it for food, for sport, and for the aquarium trade.

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described in 1775 as Sciaena kasmira, with no specific location given, though the Red Sea is considered likely. FishBase credits the description to Peter Forsskål, but the Catalog of Fishes attributes it to J. C. Fabricius, writing in Niebuhr (based on Forsskål) in 1775. The valid scientific name is Lutjanus kasmira (Fabricius, 1775). The name kasmira comes from the Arabic word for this fish in the Red Sea.

Description

The body is moderately deep, with a steeply sloping head profile and a well-developed notch and knob on the preopercle. The first gill arch has 13 or 14 rakers on the lower limb and 20 to 22 total. The dorsal fin has 10 spines followed by 14 or 15 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 7 or 8 soft rays.

Pectoral fins have 15 or 16 rays, and the caudal fin is slightly forked. Scales on the back rise obliquely above the lateral line, which holds 48 to 51 scales. The fish can reach 40 cm (16 in) in length, but most are under 25 cm (9.8 in).

Its color is the most obvious feature: the back and sides are bright yellow, fading to white on the lower sides and underside of the head. Four bright-blue stripes run lengthwise along the side, with faint greyish stripes below. Most fins are yellow.

Range and habitat

This is one of the most widespread snapper species, found from Egypt’s Red Sea coast south to Madagascar, and east to India, China, Southeast Asia, Australia, and many Pacific islands. Like other snappers, it lives around coral reefs, in shallow lagoons and on outer reef slopes down to at least 60 m (200 ft). In the Marquesas Islands it reaches 180 m (590 ft), and in the Red Sea, 265 m (869 ft).

In Hawaii, it also spends time over seagrasses and sandy bottoms. During the day, it often gathers in large groups near coral formations, caves, or wrecks. Young fish school over sandy areas, while larger fish are more solitary and live on deeper reefs.