Lane snapper

The lane snapper (Lutjanus synagris)—also called the Mexican snapper, redtail snapper, or spot snapper—is a marine ray-finned fish in the snapper family Lutjanidae. It lives in the western Atlantic Ocean.

Taxonomy

First formally described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, it was originally named Sparus synagris, with the type locality given as the Bahamas. The species name synagris comes from an Ancient Greek name for the common dentex, which the lane snapper was thought to resemble.

Description

The fish has an oblong, compressed body and a sharply pointed snout. Its nostrils are simple holes, with one pair in front and one behind. The mouth is relatively large, with a moderately protrusible upper jaw that sits mostly below the cheekbone when closed.

Each jaw holds one or more rows of sharp, conical teeth, some enlarged into canines. On the roof of the mouth, the vomerine teeth form an anchor-shaped patch with a short rearward extension, and there are tooth patches on each side of the palate. The preopercle is serrated, with a weak notch and knob. The continuous dorsal fin has 10 spines and 12–13 soft rays, sometimes with a slight notch between them; the anal fin has 3 spines and 8–9 soft rays.

The pectoral fins are relatively short, not reaching the anus, with 15–16 rays. The caudal fin is emarginate. Maximum total length is 60 cm (24 in), though 25 cm (9.8 in) is more typical, and the heaviest recorded weight is 3.5 kg (7.7 lb).

This species has two color phases. In deeper water, the fish is darker and more distinct; in shallower water, it is paler. In both phases, the upper sides and back are pink to red, with a greenish tint on the back. The lower sides and belly are silver with a yellow hue.

The head has 3–4 yellow stripes running from the snout to the eye. The flanks show 8–10 yellow to pink longitudinal stripes, with 3–4 more beneath the front dorsal fin ray. There is an indistinct black spot under the soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin. The fins range from yellow to red.

Distribution and habitat

The lane snapper ranges from North Carolina and Bermuda south through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, along the South American coast to Santa Catarina, Brazil. It lives over reefs and sandy bottoms with algae or seagrass at depths of 30 to 122 m (98–400 ft). Juveniles stay in sheltered inshore waters.