Scalemouth jobfish

The scalemouth jobfish, or scalemouth snapper (Parapristipomoides squamimaxillaris), is a marine ray-finned fish in the snapper family Lutjanidae. It lives in the Pacific Ocean and is the sole species in its genus.

This fish has a long, slim body, with its deepest point measuring about one-third of its standard length. Its head is small and sharply pointed, with a convex area between the eyes. The lower jaw sticks out a little, and the mouth reaches back to the pupil. The upper jaw bones are covered in scales, and each jaw has a single thin band of bristle-like teeth, plus a small oval patch of teeth on the roof of the mouth.

The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 10 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The largest recorded length is 51.4 cm (20.2 in). Its main color is silvery pink, darker on the back. The fins are whitish, except the tail fin, which has a yellow upper lobe and a pinkish lower lobe.

The species has a scattered range in the southern Pacific, recorded from Easter Island, Rapa Iti, New Caledonia, and Tonga. It lives in relatively deep water, between 130 and 460 m (430 to 1,510 ft), and is associated with rocky bottoms, especially reefs.

American zoologist Harry T. Kami first described it in 1973 as Pristipomoides squamimaxillaris, with the type location at Easter Island. He placed it in the monotypic subgenus Parapristipomoide, but later researchers decided it was distinct enough to warrant its own genus, Parapristipomoides. The genus name means "near to Pristipomoides," and the species name squamimaxillaris means "scaly jaw," referring to its scaled jaws.

At Easter Island and Rapa Iti, this fish is caught by handline fishing and sold fresh.