Dory snapper (Lutjanus fulviflamma)

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 fulviflamma · Authority: (Forsskål, 1775) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 218490.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Centropomus hober Lacepède, 1802; Lutianus fulviflamma (Forsskål, 1775); Lutjanus fulviflama (Forsskål, 1775); Lutjanus fulviflammus (Forsskål, 1775); Lutjanus unimaculatus Quoy & Gaimard, 1824; Mesoprion aureovittatus MacLeay, 1879; Mesoprion aurolineatus Cuvier, 1829; Mesoprion terubuan Montrouzier, 1857; Sciaena fulviflamma Forsskål, 1775.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218490 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Lutjanus fulviflamma. 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 · Depth range: 3–35 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 40 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: public aquariums.

FishBase notes: Adults inhabit coral reefs (Ref. 30573, 58652), usually in schools on coastal reefs and in deep lagoons (Ref. 48635). Often in large aggregations with Lutjanus kasmira and Lutjanus lutjanus (Ref. 9710). Juveniles are sometimes found in mangrove estuaries or in the lower reaches of freshwater streams. Feed mainly on fishes, shrimps, crabs and other crustaceans (Ref. 30573). Caught mainly with handlines, traps, and gill nets. A small species, commonly utilized in subsistence fisheries but also seen frequently in markets where it is sold usually fresh (Ref. 9821). Neither anterolateral glandular groove nor venom gland is present (Ref. 57406, information in the table as dangerous fish, does not match; needs verification).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 261) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Lutjanus-fulviflamma.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

5,122 georeferenced occurrence records for Lutjanus fulviflamma are published through GBIF from 58 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 308 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 79 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 (3,033); New Caledonia (196); Kenya (187); South Africa (163); Seychelles (120).

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

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2384777) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2384777&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218490 (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 fulviflamma (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 194370) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/194370/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2384777) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2384777/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Lutjanus fulviflamma was first formally described in 1775 as Sciaena fulviflamma by the Swedish speaking Finnish born explorer and naturalist Peter Forsskål with the type locality given as the Red Sea. The specific name, fulviflamma, is a compound of fulvus which means "brownish yellow", although it is frequently used to mean just yellow, and flamma which means "fire". The name was not explained but may be a reference to the vivid yellow upper body and tail which is visible on some individuals.

Lutjanus fulviflamma has a body which varies in shape from moderately deep to relatively slender with a standard length which is 2.5 to 2.9 times its depth, with a head which is not very steeply sloped. The incision and the knob on the preoperculum are not well developed. The vomerine teeth may be arranged in a triangular patch with a posterior extension or in a rhombus and there is a patch of grain-like teeth on the tongue. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 12-14 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The rear part of the dorsal and anal fins vary in shape from rounded to rather angular. The pectoral fins contain 15 to 17 rays and the caudal fin can be truncate or slightly emarginate. This fish attains a maximum total length of 35 cm, although 30 cm is more typical. This snapper has a pale coloured body marked with 5-7 narrow yellow horizontal stripes of equal width on the flanks, the longest of these extends through the eye on to the snout. There is a quadrilateral black spot on the lateral line three-quarters of the distance between the head and the caudal fin.

Lutjanus fulviflamma has a wide Indo Pacific distribution. It occurs in the Red Sea from the Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba south along the eastern African coast as far south as eastern South Africa and eastwards through the Indian Ocean, including the Persian Gulf, into the Pacific Ocean as far easy as Samoa. They reach as far north as the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan and south to northern Australia. There is also a single record from the Mediterranean Sea, from Malta, which had an eastern African origin as phylogenetic analysis showed.

They occur at depths between 0.5 and 35 m and in a number of different habitats with the juvenils occasionally frequenting in brackish lagoons and estuaries while the adults normally form schools over coral reefs and in deeper lagoons.

Lutjanus fulviflamma frequently forms large mixed species schools with the bluestripe snapper (Lutjanus kasmira) and the bigeye snapper (Lutjanus lutjanus) as adults. They are predators which feed on fishes and crustaceans. Off eastern Africa and New Caledonia spawning takes place in the Spring and Summer from August to March. In the western Indian Ocean there is an extended spawning period from November and December to April and May. They are discontinuous spawners in which the females lay between 51,000 and 460,000 eggs in batches during a season, although batch sizes have yet to be ascertained.

Lutjanus fulviflamma is a common target species for subsistence fisheries and frequently appears in fish markets, typically fresh. It is caught mostly with handlines, traps and gill nets. In the Persian Gulf this species is particularly important in Abu Dhabi as part of the Emirates coastal demersal fishery and is taken utilising intertidal fence nets and dome shaped wire traps. The dory snapper is also targeted as an important commercial quarry in the inshore waters of Tanzania.

Source: Wikipedia: Lutjanus fulviflamma — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutjanus_fulviflamma (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.