Pristipomoides auricilla

The goldflag jobfish, also called the yellow flower snapper, is a member of the snapper family Lutjanidae. This ray-finned fish lives across the Indo-Pacific.

David Starr Jordan, Barton Warren Evermann, and Shigeho Tanaka first scientifically described it in 1927, using a specimen from Honolulu. Its species name auricilla means "gold tail," pointing to the yellow upper lobe of its tail fin.

The body is long but sturdy, with a flattened area between the eyes. The upper and lower jaws are about the same length, though the lower one sometimes sticks out a little. Each jaw has an outer row of cone-shaped and canine teeth, plus an inner band of bristle-like teeth.

A triangular patch of teeth sits on the vomer bone, but none appear on the tongue. The tail fin is forked. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 11 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays; the last ray on each of these fins extends into a filament. The long pectoral fins reach as far as the anus.

Body color ranges from purple to brownish purple, covered with many yellow spots and distinct yellow chevrons. The upper tail lobe is yellow, and the dorsal fin is yellowish. Maximum total length is 45 cm (18 in), though 25 cm (9.8 in) is more common.

This species has a wide Indo-Pacific range, from the Comoros Islands east to Hawaii, south to Australia and New Caledonia, and north to Japan.

It lives between 80 and 360 meters (260–1,180 ft) deep, over rocky reefs and rock substrates. A predator, it feeds on other fish, tunicates, and salps.

People catch it with deep handlines. In places like the Marianas, heavy fishing pressure occurs. It is sold fresh.