Common bluestripe snapper (Lutjanus kasmira)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Eupercaria incertae sedis · Family: Lutjanidae · Genus: Lutjanus.

Accepted name: Lutjanus kasmira · Authority: (Forsskål, 1775) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 218482.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Lutianus kasmira (Forsskål, 1775); Mesoprion etaape Lesson, 1831; Perca lineata Gronow, 1854; Sciaena kasmira Forsskål, 1775.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218482 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Lutjanus kasmira. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 40 cm · Common length: 25 cm · Depth range: 3–265 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 40.2 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Adults inhabit coral reefs, occurring in both shallow lagoons and on outer reef slopes. Frequently found in large aggregations around coral formation, caves or wrecks during the day. Juveniles inhabit seagrass beds around patch reefs (Ref. 9710). Benthopelagic (Ref. 58302). Feed on fishes, shrimps, crabs, stomatopods, cephalopods, and planktonic crustaceans. Also take a variety of algae (Ref. 4821). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 30874.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 156) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Lutjanus-kasmira.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

8,533 georeferenced occurrence records for Lutjanus kasmira are published through GBIF from 65 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 341 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 30 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: United States of America (2,871); American Samoa (742); Australia (698); Northern Mariana Islands (656); Mozambique (346).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2385129) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2385129&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218482 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Lutjanus kasmira (Forsskål, 1775) as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 194337) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/194337/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2385129) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2385129/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The common bluestripe snapper was first formally described in 1775 as Sciaena kasmira with no type locality given but it is considered likely to be the Red Sea.

"Fabricius [J. C.] in Niebuhr (ex Forsskål) 1775:46, xi [Descriptiones animalium (Forsskål)"

Catalog of Fishes then states that the valid binomial is Lutjanus kasmira (Fabricius, 1775).

The specific name kasmira is the Arabic word used for this fish in the Red Sea.

The body is moderately deep in profile, with the dorsal profile of the head steeply sloped, having a well-developed preopercular notch and knob. Identifying morphological features include the number of gill rakers on lower limb of the first arch, which number 13 or 14, with the total rakers on the first arch numbering 20 to 22. The dorsal fin consists of 10 spines anterior to 14 or 15 soft rays, while the anal fin has three spines and seven or eight soft rays. The pectoral fins have 15 or 16 rays, with the caudal fin being slightly emarginate. The row of scales on the back rise obliquely above the lateral line, which contains 48 to 51 scales. This species can reach a length of 40 cm, though most do not exceed 25 cm.

The color is probably the most diagnostic feature of the fish, especially when alive or fresh from the water. The back and sides of the fish are bright yellow, with the lower sides and underside of head fading to white. Four bright-blue stripes run longitudinally on the side of the fish, with several faint greyish stripes on lowermost part of sides. Most fins are yellow.

The bluestripe snapper is one of the most widespread species of the Lutjanidae, ranging from the coast of Egypt bordering the Red Sea, south to Madagascar and east to India, China, Southeast Asia, Australia, and a number of Pacific islands.

Like many snappers, it inhabits coral reefs, occurring in both shallow lagoons and on outer reef slopes to depths of at least 60 m, at depths reaching 180 m at the Marquesas Islands and 265 m in the Red Sea. In Hawaii, they spend some time over seagrasses and sandy substrates. They frequently gather in large aggregations around coral formations, caves, or wrecks during daylight hours.

The preferred habitat of the species changes with age, with young fish schooling on sandy substrates, while larger fish are more solitary, and inhabit deep reefs.

The bluestripe snapper has a varied diet, feeding on fishes, shrimp, crabs, stomatopods, cephalopods and planktonic crustaceans, as well as plant and algal materials. Diets vary with age, location, and the prevalent prey items available locally.

The bluestripe snapper reaches sexual maturity at 20 to 25 cm. Spawning occurs throughout most of the year in lower latitudes, with peak activity reported for November and December in the Andaman Sea. Its eggs measure from 0.78 to 0.85 mm in diameter and hatch when temperatures reach 22 to 25 C.

In the 1950s, investigators from the Hawaii's Division of Fish and Game conducted marine fauna surveys and found the Hawaiian ichthyofauna was dominated by herbivorous fishes, which they concluded were "a useless end in the food chain". Unlike many Pacific islands, Hawaii lacked any fish from the Serranidae or Lutjanidae families, so to increase recreational and commercial food fishing opportunities, and fill a perceived 'vacant ecological niche', collections of 11 species of snappers and groupers were imported from Mexico, Kiribati, the Marquesas Islands, and Moorea, and introduced to Hawaii. Only three species thrived, dominated by the bluestripe snapper, now occupying many of the Hawaiian Islands.

In the following years, fishers and ecologists raised concerns that the snapper would outcompete other fish for space and food, as well as prey upon them; scientific investigation has not found evidence to support these claims. Snapper may be competitively dominant over native yellow-fin goatfish, Mulloidichthys vanicolensis, for sheltering space on the reef. This is likely only the case in situations where both are present in high densities.

Source: Wikipedia: Common bluestripe snapper — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_bluestripe_snapper (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.