Cubera snapper

The cubera snapper, also called the Cuban snapper, is a marine ray-finned fish in the snapper family Lutjanidae. It lives in the western Atlantic Ocean and is important for fishing, both commercially and for sport. However, eating it can sometimes cause ciguatera poisoning.

Taxonomy

French zoologist Georges Cuvier first described this species in 1828, naming it Mesoprion cyanopterus based on a specimen from Brazil. The name cyanopterus combines the Greek words for "blue" and "fin," because Cuvier noted the bluish-black membranes on its median fins.

Description

This snapper has an oval, streamlined body that is less deep than many other snappers. It has two pairs of simple nostril holes on its snout, a large mouth with thick lips, and strong canine teeth—one enlarged pair is visible even when the mouth is closed. On the roof of the mouth, the vomerine teeth form a crescent or triangular patch without a central backward extension, and there are tooth patches on each side.

The preoperculum has a weak knob and notch. It has long pectoral fins, a continuous dorsal fin, and a truncated tail fin. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 14 soft rays; the anal fin has three spines and seven or eight soft rays, sometimes with a notch behind the spiny part. The largest recorded cubera snapper was 160 cm (63 in) long, though 90 cm (35 in) is more typical, and the heaviest weighed 57 kg (126 lb).

Its color ranges from grey to dark brown, with pale to dark-grey sides; some fish have a slight reddish tint. The tail fin is light grey, the pectoral fins may be translucent or pale grey, and the anal, pectoral, and pelvic fins have a bluish hue. Juveniles have a faint barred pattern on their sides.

Distribution and habitat

The cubera snapper ranges across the western Atlantic, from Nova Scotia south to Santa Catarina in Brazil, including the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Bermuda. It has also been recorded near the Flores Islands in the Azores.

It lives at depths from 1 to 85 m (3 to 279 ft). Juveniles hide in seagrass beds or mangroves in shallow waters and have even been found in freshwater. Adults move offshore to rocky ledges and reefs.

Feeding

Adults are solitary and can live up to 55 years. As the largest snapper species, it is a predator that mainly eats other fish and some crustaceans. Its large canine teeth let it tackle big prey like lobsters and crabs. It hunts near the bottom or around hard structures.