Emperor red snapper (Lutjanus sebae)

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 sebae · Authority: (Cuvier, 1816) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 218499.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Diacope civis Valenciennes, 1831; Diacope sebae Cuvier, 1816; Diacope siamensis Valenciennes, 1830; Genyoroge regia De Vis, 1884; Lutianus sebae (Cuvier, 1816).

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218499 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 116 cm · Common length: 60 cm · Depth range: 5–180 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 58.9 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Adults occur in the vicinity of coral or rocky reefs (Ref. 5484), often over adjacent sand flats and gravel patches (Ref. 55). Also trawled in deeper water on relatively flat bottoms. Juveniles are frequently commensal with sea urchins (Ref. 55). Juveniles less than 20 cm long are common in near shore, turbid waters (Ref. 27260), in mangrove areas (Ref. 55), or among both coastal and deeper water offshore reefs (Ref. 27260). Juveniles can also be found swimming amongst the spines of urchins in shallow coastal bays (Ref. 48635). They move to deeper waters as they grow larger (Ref. 27264), with large fish often moving into shallower water during the winter months (Ref. 27260, 27264). They form schools of similar-sized individuals or are solitary (Ref. 6390). Feed on fishes, crabs, stomatopods, other benthic crustaceans and cephalopods. Marketed fresh, dried-salted and frozen (Ref. 9987). Commercially important but in certain regions of the Indian Ocean, large individuals are known to cause ciguatera poisoning (Ref. 11888).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 178) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Lutjanus-sebae.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

11,491 georeferenced occurrence records for Lutjanus sebae are published through GBIF from 33 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 260 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 36 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 (11,147); Mozambique (78); Indonesia (51); Philippines (32); Seychelles (22).

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

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2384899) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2384899&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218499 (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 sebae (Cuvier, 1816) 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 194343) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/194343/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2384899) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2384899/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Lutjanus sebae was first formally described in 1816 as Diacope sebae by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier, Cuvier did not give a type locality but it is thought to be either the Coromandel Coast of India or so where in Indonesia. The specific name honours Albertus Seba, a Dutch pharmacist, zoologist and natural history collector, who published a Thesaurus of animal specimens with beautiful engravings in 1734. This included examples of marine life from the Indo-Pacific, including an illustration of the emperor red snapper.

Lutjanus sebae has a very deep body, its standard length being just over twice its depth. The forehead is steeply sloped, the snout has a straight or convex upper profile and the knob and incision on the preopercle are moderately developed. The vomerine teeth are arranged in a crescent shaped or triangular patch with no rearwards extension and there no teeth on the smooth tongue. The dorsal fin has 11 spines and 15-16 soft rays and the anal fin has 3 spines and 10 soft rays, the rear of the dorsal and anal fins is very pointed. The pectoral fins contain 17 rays and the caudal fin is weakly forked. This species attains a maximum total length of 116 cm, although 60 cm is more typical, and the maximum published weight is 32.7 kg. The overall colour of this fish is reddish to pink with red fins. Juveniles and subadults show a band of dark red band starting at the snout tip running through the eye up to the anteriormost spine in the dorsal fin, a wide band then runs from the middle of the spiny part of the dorsal fin to the pelvic fin, and an oblique band runs from the tip of the rearmost dorsal fin spine to the ventral lobe of the caudal fin.

Lutjanus sebae has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution from Eastern Africa where its range extends from the southern Red Sea to South Africa east into the Pacific Ocean as far as New Caledonia, south to Australia and north to southern Japan. In Australian waters this species can be found from Bunbury, Western Australia around the coast to Sydney. It has been reported twice recently in the Mediterranean Sea, near Athens, Greece, and Palermo, Sicily.

This species is an inhabitant of both rocky and coral reefs, preferring flat areas with either a sandy or gravel substrate.

Lutjanus sebae is a predatory fish which feeds on different fish, benthic crustaceans and cephalopods. It aggregates into schools with similar sized individuals or they will be solitary. This is a slow growing species, off the Seychelles, the mean age of first sexual maturity for both males and females was estimated at 9 year old. The size at which 50% of fishes are sexually mature was between fork lengths of 61 and 63 cm. Once they are sexually mature the females growth rate decreases compared to the males, and adult males grow larger than females. Red emperor snappers form spawning aggregations between October and April, eggs and milt are broadcast in these aggregations. They are long lived, maximum longevity is as much as 40 years. Juveniles have been observed swimming among the spines of sea urchins. The larger adults move to deeper waters but frequently return to shallower water in the winter.

Lutjanus sebae is commercially important and is also farmed. It is sought as a game fish and is found in the aquarium trade.

Lutjanus sebae is also known as the government bream in Australasia, for the red bars on the juvenile form suggesting the fish is wrapped in red tape.

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