Snappers and Grunts Codexery

Lutjanus sebae

A slow-growing, long-lived Indo-Pacific snapper with red bars.

Last updated

Lutjanus sebae, known commonly as the red emperor, emperor red snapper, emperor snapper, government bream, king snapper, queenfish, or red kelp, is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, and is notable for its deep body, striking coloration, and commercial importance.

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderAcanthuriformes
  6. FamilyLutjanidae
  7. GenusLutjanus
  8. SpeciesLutjanus sebae

Named by (G. Cuvier, 1816)

Close relatives

Other species of Lutjanus with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Lutjanus sebae (CC BY-SA 4.0) · differs from this box at order: WoRMS AphiaID 218499 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2016

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Lutjanus sebae and a personA 1.16 m long lutjanus sebae drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.1.16 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 1.16 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Lutjanus sebae

Where the lutjanus sebae has been recorded

Where the lutjanus sebae has been recorded89 mapped locations from 11,491 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean SeaIndian OceanPacific OceanMediterranean Sea

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (11,491 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 11 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Background

Lutjanus sebae was first formally described in 1816 by French zoologist Georges Cuvier as Diacope sebae, though Cuvier did not give a type locality; it is thought to be either the Coromandel Coast of India or somewhere in Indonesia. The specific name honors Albertus Seba, a Dutch pharmacist and naturalist, whose 1734 Thesaurus included an illustration of this species. The fish has a very deep body, a steep forehead, and a weakly forked caudal fin.

Juveniles and subadults display a distinctive pattern of dark red bands: one from the snout through the eye to the dorsal fin, a wide band from the middle of the spiny dorsal fin to the pelvic fin, and an oblique band from the rear dorsal spine to the ventral lobe of the caudal fin. Adults are reddish to pink with red fins. This species inhabits rocky and coral reefs, preferring flat areas with sandy or gravel substrate, and is found from eastern Africa to the western Pacific, including Australia and southern Japan, with recent reports in the Mediterranean Sea near Greece and Sicily.

Related entries

Same family (Lutjanidae)

African forktail snapper Apsilus fuscusAphareus furca Aphareus furcaApsilus dentatus Apsilus dentatusBlack and white snapper Macolor nigerChinamanfish Symphorus nematophorusEtelis boweni Etelis boweni

Named in this entry

Lutjanus

More in Snappers

LutjanidaeLutjaninaeApsilusScalemouth jobfishTang's snapperAphareus (fish)EtelisGreen jobfishPristipomoidesRandall's snapperMexican barred snapperVermilion snapper

Elsewhere in Snappers and Grunts

Haemulidae · GruntsHaemulon parra · GruntsRhonciscus pauco · GruntsBigeye grunt · GruntsBrachygenys jessiae · GruntsEmmelichthyops · Grunts

Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In what year was Lutjanus sebae first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1816.

From the source: “Lutjanus sebae was first formally described in 1816 as Diacope sebae by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier, Cuvier did not give a type locality but it is thought to be either the Coromandel Coast of India or so where in Indonesia.”

2. Who first scientifically described the Lutjanus sebae?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Georges Cuvier.

From the source: “Lutjanus sebae was first formally described in 1816 as Diacope sebae by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier, Cuvier did not give a type locality but it is thought to be either the Coromandel Coast of India or so where in Indonesia.”

3. In what year was Lutjanus sebae first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1816.

From the source: “Lutjanus sebae was first formally described in 1816 as Diacope sebae by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier, Cuvier did not give a type locality but it is thought to be either the Coromandel Coast of India or so where in Indonesia.”

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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