Lutjanus purpureus

Lutjanus purpureus, commonly called the southern red snapper or Caribbean red snapper, is a marine ray-finned fish belonging to the snapper family Lutjanidae. Its natural range covers the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described in 1867 by Cuban zoologist Felipe Poey, who named it Mesoprion purpureus. No type locality was given, but Cuba is the most likely origin. Poey may have based his description on a painting with an unclear subject, making it uncertain exactly which fish he meant.

The species has often been treated as a synonym of the northern red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus). The scientific name purpureus means "purple," which adds to the confusion, as this fish is not purple. Some past authors called it Lutjanus aya, but that name actually refers to a drum, not a snapper.

Description

The body of this snapper is moderately deep and compressed, with a short head and a rounded upper profile. Its snout is short and blunt, and it has two pairs of simple nostrils. The eye is large, and the preoperculum is serrated with a weakly developed incision and knob. The vomerine teeth form a chevron- or crescent-shaped patch with a short rearward extension.

The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 14 soft rays; the anal fin has 3 spines and 8–9 soft rays and becomes pointed in fish over 5 cm long. The long pectoral fin reaches the anus and has 17 rays. The tail fin is strongly forked, with the upper lobe slightly longer than the lower.

Maximum total length is 100 cm, though 65 cm is more typical, and the heaviest recorded weight is 10 kg. The back and upper sides are deep red, while the lower sides and belly are pinkish with a silvery sheen. The fins are mostly red, and there may be a small dark spot at the upper base of the pectoral fin. Juveniles have a round black spot on the upper side below the front of the soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin, which fades and disappears as they grow.

Distribution and habitat

This species occurs throughout much of the Caribbean Sea, from Cuba south to northeastern Brazil. It is most abundant over the continental shelf between Honduras and the Guianas, and less common around the Greater and Lesser Antilles, where it is restricted to deeper waters. It lives over rocky bottoms at depths of 30 to 160 m, most often between 70 and 120 m. Juveniles prefer sand or mud substrates.