Tang's snapper

Tang's snapper (Lipocheilus carnolabrum) is a marine ray-finned fish in the snapper family Lutjanidae. Found in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific, it is the only species in its genus and is commercially fished for food.

Description

The fish’s body depth is about 40% of its standard length. It has a large mouth, with the upper jaw jutting forward when closed; adults also have a thick, fleshy knob on the front of the upper lip. The area between the eyes may be flat or slightly curved.

It has teeth on the palate and vomer, the vomerine teeth forming a V-shaped patch. The tail fin is moderately forked. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 10 soft rays, and the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays—neither fin has scales. The rearmost soft rays of the dorsal and anal fins are not elongated.

The long pectoral fins extend past the anus. The upper head and body are brown, with yellowish or pinkish sides and a silvery underside. Adults reach up to 60 cm (24 in) in total length.

Distribution

This species has a broad Indo-West Pacific range, but it has been recorded only in scattered locations: the Ryukyu Islands, the South China Sea, the Andaman Sea, the northwestern Arabian Sea, the Lakshadweep Islands, Sri Lanka, Vanuatu, northern Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.

Habitat and biology

Tang’s snapper is a demersal fish that lives over rocky bottoms and reefs on the continental shelf, at depths between 90 and 340 m (300–1,120 ft). It likely preys on fish and larger invertebrates. It is a typical part of the fish community found at depths greater than 200 m (660 ft) in offshore waters.

Systematics and etymology

The species was first formally described in 1970 as Tangia carnolabrum by Chan William Lai-Yee, based on a specimen taken about 145 km (90 mi) southeast of Hong Kong at 110–130 m (360–430 ft) depth. The genus name Tangia was already used for a leafhopper, so in 1977 William D. Anderson Jr., Purnesh Kumar Talwar, and G. David Johnson created the new genus Lipocheilus—from lipos (fat) and cheilos (lip), referring to the fleshy lip knob. The specific name carnolabrum means “fleshy lips” for the same reason. It remains the sole member of its genus.

Tang’s snapper is targeted by long-line fisheries, especially off southern China. In Papua New Guinea, it is commercially important even when not directly targeted.