Lutjanus agennes

The African red snapper, also called the Guinean snapper or African cubera snapper, is a marine ray-finned fish in the snapper family, Lutjanidae. It lives in the Atlantic waters along Africa’s coast.

Taxonomy

Dutch scientist Pieter Bleeker first described this species in 1863, giving its type location as “Ashantee in Guinea.” He didn’t explain the name agennes, but it may come from a word meaning “of low family,” possibly because of its similarity to L. modestus (whose name means “modest or unassuming”). Bleeker also described L. modestus that same year, and it’s unclear if that name refers to this species or to L. endecacanthus.

Description

The fish has a fairly deep body, a pointed snout, and a somewhat angular forehead. Its mouth reaches back to below the middle of the eye. The teeth on the vomer form a triangular patch that may extend backward.

The notch and knob on the preoperculum are not well developed. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 13–14 soft rays; the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. Its color is reddish brown to slightly orange on the back and upper sides, fading to pink or whitish on the belly and lower sides.

The tips of the pelvic fins are quite dark, and there is no blue line on the cheeks. Juveniles have 6 to 8 vertical rows of small white spots or thin bars on their sides. The maximum recorded total length is 139 cm (55 in), though 50 cm (20 in) is more common, and the heaviest published weight is 60 kg (130 lb).

Distribution and habitat

This species lives in the eastern Atlantic, along West Africa from Senegal to Angola, including the Cape Verde Islands and the Gulf of Guinea islands. It ranges from the surface down to 80 m (260 ft) over rocky bottoms and reefs, and juveniles sometimes enter brackish lagoons and estuaries.

Biology

Like other snappers, it is a predator that eats mostly fish and crustaceans. It may form large spawning groups far from shore in open water. Fishermen have observed larger individuals gathering in big numbers around rocky reefs to spawn. The West African snapper is thought to live a long time, possibly over 20 years.

The African red snapper is an important catch throughout its range, especially for subsistence fishing, using handlines and fixed bottom nets. The fish is usually sold fresh. It is also caught commercially, and the catch is eaten locally in West Africa, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea and Cape Verde.