Deep-water red snapper (Etelis carbunculus)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Etelis carbunculus · Authority: Cuvier, 1828 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 212545.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Etelis carbonculus Cuvier, 1828; Etelis marshi (Jenkins, 1903); Eteliscus marshi Jenkins, 1903.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=212545 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 127 cm · Common length: 65 cm · Depth range: 90–400 m · Habitat zone: benthopelagic · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 67.2 of 100 · Fishery importance: highly commercial · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Adults inhabit rocky bottoms (Ref. 30573). Benthopelagic (Ref. 58302).

Feed on fishes and larger invertebrates such as squids, shrimps and crabs; also takes planktonic organisms, including pelagic urochordates. An important food fish in some areas. Marketed fresh or frozen (Ref. 55).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 87) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Etelis-carbunculus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

699 georeferenced occurrence records for Etelis carbunculus are published through GBIF from 27 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 125 distinct locations from a sample of 699 records, omitting 11 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: Mayotte (206); United States of America (137); Australia (113); Solomon Islands (106); New Caledonia (27); Japan (17); Mozambique (17); Chinese Taipei (10); French Polynesia (8); Indonesia (7); Philippines (7); South Africa (6); Mauritius (5); Réunion (5); Northern Mariana Islands (4).

Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: Mozambican Exclusive Economic Zone; Tanzanian Exclusive Economic Zone; Somali Exclusive Economic Zone; Seychellois Exclusive Economic Zone; Madagascar; Kenyan Exclusive Economic Zone; Comoran Exclusive Economic Zone; Mauritian Exclusive Economic Zone; Djiboutian Exclusive Economic Zone; Chagos; New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone; Mtwapa; Ungama Bay.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2385134) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2385134&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=212545 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Etelis carbunculus Cuvier, 1828 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 154999) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/154999/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2385134) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2385134/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Etelis carbunculus is an elongated fish with a small head and a large eye, the space between the eyes is flat. The mouth extends back as far as the middle of the eye and the jaws are each equipped with a single row of conical teeth with one or two pairs of enlarged canines at the front. The vomerine teeth are arranged in a slender V-shaped patch. The forked caudal fin has relatively short lobes in comparison to congeners.

It has a continuous dorsal fin which has a deep notch at the junction of its spiny part and the ultimate soft ray of both the dorsal and anal fins extends beyond the membrane, being longer than the penultimate ray. The dorsal fin contains 10 spines and 11 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays, both fins lacking scales. The pectoral fins are long, almost equal to the head length. The maximum recorded fork length is 127 cm, although a total length of 65 cm is more typical.

The overall colour of this species is reddish to pinkish with a whitish abdomen. There are red margins to the dorsal fin and the caudal fin which has a white tip to its lower lobe.

Distribution

Etelis carbunculus has a wide distribution and can be found throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It occurs from the Red Sea south to Mozambique on the coast of East Africa to the Persian Gulf, across the Indian Ocean into the Pacific Ocean. In the Pacific its range extends north to Japan, south to Australia and east to Hawaii.

It has also been found around Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands off northern New Zealand. In Australia it is found from Geraldton in Western Australia east into the Arafura Sea to the northeast of Darwin in the Northern Territory onto the outer Great Barrier Reef off Queensland, maybe also occurring farther south. It also occurs at Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea as well as at Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

Habitat and biology

Etelis carbunculus is found over rock substrates and rocky reefs at depths between 90 and 400 m, in or around the benthos. It has been reported forming aggregations. It is a predatory species feeding on fishes, squid, crustaceans and zooplankton. They breed all year round in Vanuatu, spawning peaking there in November.

Parasites

The monopisthocotylean monogenean of the genus Lagenivaginopseudobenedenia are known to parasitise E. carbunculus. These parasites have what is possibly the longest valid generic name of the zoological nomenclature for a non-fossil organism.

Taxonomy

Etelis carbunculus was first formally described in 1828 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier with the type locality given as Mahé in the Seychelles. At the time it was the only species in the genus Etelis so it is the type species of that genus. The specific name carbunculus is a "ruby red precious stone", a reference to the reddish colour of this fish.

Etelis carbunculus is a target for fisheries throughout its range and the stocks have been reported to be declining in some regions. It is caught using bottom longlines and deep handlines and is an important food fish. In Australia its stock is managed under the Western Deep Water Fishery. The caught fish are sold fresh or frozen.

Source: Wikipedia: Etelis carbunculus — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etelis_carbunculus (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.