Pristipomoides sieboldii

The lavender jobfish, also called the lavender snapper or von Siebold's snapper, is a ray-finned fish in the snapper family Lutjanidae. It lives across a broad area of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Taxonomy

This species was first scientifically described in 1871 by the Dutch scientist Pieter Bleeker, who named it Chaetopterus sieboldii based on a specimen from Nagasaki. The name likely honors German physician and traveler Philipp Franz von Siebold, who collected many fish specimens later described in the Fauna Japonica series.

Description

The fish has an elongated, sturdy body, with a depth roughly 30–40% of its standard length. Its eyes are set apart by a flat space, and its lower jaw sticks out slightly. Both jaws have an outer row of conical and canine-like teeth, plus an inner band of bristle-like teeth. A diamond-shaped patch of teeth sits on the vomer, and teeth also appear on the tongue.

The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 11 soft rays; the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. Neither fin has scales at its base, and the last soft ray of each extends into a short filament. The long pectoral fins reach the anus and contain 16 rays.

The caudal fin is forked. Overall, the fish is silvery with a lavender tint, and the top of the head has dark spots that are more noticeable in younger individuals. The dorsal fin has an orange margin, while the caudal fin is purplish with pale edges on the fork. It can reach a maximum total length of 79 cm (31 in), though 40 cm (16 in) is more typical, and a maximum published weight of 8.6 kg (19 lb).

Distribution, habitat and biology

A benthopelagic predator, it lives over rocky substrates at depths from 140 to 500 m (460 to 1,640 ft). Its diet consists mainly of fishes, crustaceans, polychaetes, cephalopods, and urochordates. The fish reaches sexual maturity at three years old and has a lifespan of no more than eight years.

Fisheries

In Japan, the lavender jobfish is a common food fish. It is also important to fisheries in Hawaii—where it is managed as part of the Deep 7 bottomfish hook and line fishery—and in the Great Barrier Reef/Torres Strait fishery in Australia. It is caught with bottom longlines and deep handlines, and the catch is sold fresh.