Lutjanus biguttatus

The two-spot banded snapper, also called the two-spot snapper, is a marine fish in the Lutjanidae family. Its scientific name is Lutjanus biguttatus. It lives in the western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans.

Taxonomy

French zoologist Achille Valenciennes first described this species in 1830, naming it Serranus biguttatus. The name biguttatus means "two spotted," referring to the two spots on its back under the dorsal fin. He gave the type location as Trincomalee in Sri Lanka and Ambon Island in Indonesia.

Description

This snapper has a slender, fusiform body and a low, gently sloping snout. The knob and notch on its preoperculum are weak. Its vomerine teeth form a triangular patch with a rear extension, or a rhombus shape, and it has no teeth on its tongue.

The caudal fin is truncate. The dorsal fin has 11 spines and 12 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. Its back is greyish, with a wide horizontal white stripe from the mouth to the caudal peduncle, bordered on each side by a reddish-brown stripe.

Two white spots sit on the back beneath the dorsal fin’s base. Juveniles are mostly white with a grey back, a dark brown stripe along the lateral line, and two faint white spots on the back. The maximum recorded standard length is 25 cm (9.8 in), though 15 cm (5.9 in) is more typical.

Distribution and habitat

The species ranges across the Indo-Pacific, from the Maldives and Sri Lanka through the Andaman Sea and Malay Archipelago east to the Solomon Islands, north to the Philippines, and south to Australia. Records also exist from Samoa, Fiji, and the Caroline Islands. In Australia, it appears off Western Australia from Hibernia Reef to Scott Reef, at Ashmore Reef in the Coral Sea, and off the Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland. It inhabits coral reefs at depths of 3 to 30 m (9.8 to 98.4 ft).

Biology

Though uncommon, this snapper sometimes gathers in groups of over 100 individuals, but it is often seen alone. It is a predator, feeding mainly on smaller fish and crustaceans.

In some areas, like Sri Lanka, it is an important food fish, though it is uncommon in fish markets, where it is sold fresh. Fishermen catch it using traps, hand lines, and gill nets.