Yellow-banded snapper (Lutjanus adetii)

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 adetii · Authority: (Castelnau, 1873) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 276519.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Diacope adetii Castelnau, 1873; Diacopus adetii Castelnau, 1873; Genyoroge amabilis De Vis, 1884; Genyoroge unicolor Alleyne & MacLeay, 1877; Lutjanus amabilis (De Vis, 1885); Lutjanus castelnaui Whitley, 1928; Lutjanus paravitta Postel, 1965.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=276519 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 50 cm · Common length: 30 cm · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 37.5 of 100 · Fishery importance: minor commercial · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Adults mainly inhabit coral reefs. Sometimes forming large aggregations around rocky outcrops during daylight hours. They disperse to feed at night (Ref. 9710). Usually marketed fresh.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 1395) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Lutjanus-adetii.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

627 georeferenced occurrence records for Lutjanus adetii are published through GBIF from 4 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 58 distinct locations from a sample of 627 records, omitting 8 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: Australia (613); New Caledonia (12); Papua New Guinea (1); Thailand (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2384799) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2384799&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=276519 (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 Lutjanus adetii (Castelnau, 1873) 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 194399) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/194399/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2384799) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2384799/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Lutjanus adetii was first formally described in 1873 as Diacope adetii by the French naturalist François-Louis Laporte, comte de Castelnau with the type locality given as Nouméa on New Caledonia. Its specific name honours "Mr Adet" who collected the specimens of fishes that Castelnau described from New Caledonia, Castelnau did not give Adet's given names.

Description

Lutjanus adetii has a relatively deep body, which has a standard length of 2.5 to 2.7 times its depth. The snout is rather pointed, the preorbital bone is wider than the diameter of the eye and there is a well developed preopercular protuberance and incision. The tongue has a patch of granular teeth while the vomerine teeth are arranged in a triangular patch. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 14 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 8 soft rays, these fins have a rounded posterior profile.

The pectoral fins contain 17 rays while the caudal fin may be emarginate or slightly forked. The background colour is rosy-pink shading to silvery below with a dusky to golden stripe which runs from the middle of the operculum to the base of the caudal fin.

There is a golden patch which surrounds the eye and runs onto the snout while the pectoral fin base has a yellow blotch, The dorsal and anal fins have white margins. The juveniles have a sizeable red spot on the caudal peduncle, which some retain while the mid lateral stripe appears. This species attains a maximum total length of 50 cm, although 30 cm is more typical.

Distribution and habitat

Lutjanus adetii has a restricted distribution in the southwest Pacific Ocean. It occurs in eastern Australia, eastern Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia. In Australia it occurs from the northern Great Barrier Reef in Queensland south to Sydney in New South Wales, with small juveniles being recorded further south, and Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. This species occur from the surface down to 40 m living among rocky and coral reefs.

Biology

Lutjanus adetii is a nocturnal hunter, the adults spend the day in large aggregations which disperse at night to forage Off New Caledonia the spawning season is from August to February, peaking in November to January.

Fisheries

Lutjanus adetii is mainly of interest to recreational fisheries. Its flesh is considered to be of good quality and it is caught for markets in some localities, especially in New Caledonia. It is caught using hook and line and gill nets and the catch is normally sold fresh. The hussar is one of the species taken in the coral reef finfish fishery of Australia.

Source: Wikipedia: Lutjanus adetii — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutjanus_adetii (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.