Lutjanus lemniscatus

The yellowstreaked snapper, also called the darktail snapper, darktail seaperch, or maroon sea-perch, is a marine ray-finned fish belonging to the snapper family Lutjanidae. It lives in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Taxonomy

French zoologist Achille Valenciennes first described this species in 1828, naming it Serranus lemniscatus based on a specimen from Sri Lanka. The species name lemniscatus means "decorated with ribbons," referring to the horizontal banded pattern seen in young fish.

Description

This snapper has a moderately deep body, with its standard length measuring 2.5 to 2.8 times its deepest point. Its forehead slopes steeply, and the snout profile is slightly concave. The preoperculum has a weakly developed knob and notch. Vomerine teeth form a crescent shape without extending backward, and the tongue bears a patch of granular teeth.

The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 13–14 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. Both the dorsal and anal fins are rounded at the rear. Pectoral fins have 16 rays, and the caudal fin is either truncate or weakly emarginate.

The fish can reach a maximum total length of 60 cm (24 in), though 35 cm (14 in) is more typical. Adults vary in color—greyish, pinkish-brown, olive-green, or silvery—with sooty brown to blackish dorsal and caudal fins that often have a thin white margin. Juveniles are light grey with a wide black stripe down the middle of the body, bordered by two thin white stripes running from the snout tip to the base of the tail. Adults living in deeper water frequently appear reddish.

Distribution and habitat

The species ranges across the Indo-West Pacific, from southern India and Sri Lanka east to Papua New Guinea. Confirmed records exist from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Malaysia; reports from Pakistan and Mozambique need verification. In Australia, its range extends from Shark Bay in Western Australia to Cooktown in Queensland, possibly reaching as far south as Noosa on the east coast.

It lives at depths from 0 to 110 m (0 to 361 ft). Adults inhabit offshore reefs and muddy areas, while juveniles occasionally appear near coral reefs close to shore, often in places with moderate silt and poor visibility. Adults typically stay in very deep water.

Biology

These snappers are found alone or in small groups. They are predators, feeding on fish and benthic invertebrates.