Northern red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus)

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 campechanus · Authority: (Poey, 1860) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 159795.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Lutjanus blackfordii Goode & Bean, 1878; Lutjanus campechianus Poey, 1860; Mesoprion campechanus Poey, 1860; Neomaenis aya (Bloch).

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159795 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 100 cm · Common length: 60 cm · Depth range: 10–190 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 54 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Adults are found over rocky bottoms. Juveniles inhabit shallow waters, common over sand or muddy bottoms. Feed mainly on fishes, shrimps, crabs, worms, cephalopods, and some planktonic items including urochordates and gastropods. Marketed fresh and eaten steamed, broiled and baked (Ref. 9988). Heavily exploited in American waters where it is now closely protected; shrimp fishing, accused of destroying young snappers, is currently restricted.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 1423) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Lutjanus-campechanus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

3,249 georeferenced occurrence records for Lutjanus campechanus are published through GBIF from 24 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 206 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 52 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 (2,408); Puerto Rico (445); Mexico (313); Costa Rica (16); Colombia (15).

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

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2384865) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2384865&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159795 (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 campechanus (Poey, 1860) as Vulnerable (code VU). 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 194365) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/194365/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2384865) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2384865/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

It is closely related to Lutjanus purpureus, the southern red snapper or Caribbean red snapper, and both have been considered to be the same species in the past.

The northern red snapper was first formally described in 1860 as Mesoprion campechanus by the Cuban zoologist Felipe Poey with the type locality given as the Mexican state of Campeche. The specific name reflects the type locality.

The northern red snapper's body is very similar in shape to other snappers, such as the mangrove snapper, mutton snapper, lane snapper, and dog snapper. All feature a sloped profile, medium-to-large scales, a spiny dorsal fin, and a laterally compressed body. Northern red snapper have short, sharp, needle-like teeth, but they lack the prominent upper canine teeth found on the mutton, dog, and mangrove snappers. They are rather large and are red in color.

This snapper reaches maturity at a length of about 39 cm. The common adult length is 60 cm, but may reach 100 cm. The maximum published weight is 50 lb, 4 oz (22.79 kg) and the oldest reported age is 57+ years.

Coloration of the northern red snapper is light red, with more intense pigment on the back. It has 10 dorsal spines, 14 soft dorsal rays, three anal spines and eight to 9 anal soft rays. Juvenile fish (shorter than 30–35 cm) can also have a dark spot on their sides, below the anterior soft dorsal rays, which fades with age.

The northern red snapper is found at a depth of 30 to 620 feet in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the southeastern Atlantic coast of Mexico and the United States and much less commonly northward as far as Massachusetts. In Latin American Spanish, it is known as,,, or.

This species commonly inhabits waters from 30 - 200 ft, but can be caught as deep as 300 ft on occasion. They stay relatively close to the bottom, and inhabit rocky bottoms, ledges, ridges, and artificial reefs, including offshore oil rigs and shipwrecks. Like most other snappers, northern red snapper are gregarious and form large schools around wrecks and reefs. These schools are usually made up of fish of very similar size.

The preferred habitat of this species changes as it grows and matures due to increased need for cover and changing food habits. Newly hatched red snapper spread out over large areas of open benthic habitat, then move to low-relief habitats, such as oyster beds. As they near one year of age, they move to intermediate-relief habitats as the previous year's fish move on to high-relief reefs with room for more individuals. Around artificial reefs such as oil platforms, smaller fish spend time in the upper part of the water column while more mature (and larger) adults live in deeper areas. These larger fish do not allow smaller individuals to share this territory. The largest red snapper spread out over open habitats, as well as reefs.

Diaz reported weight vs. length data for L. campechanus for the National Marine Fisheries Service (US). As northern red snapper grow longer, they increase in weight, but the relationship between length and weight is not linear.

Invariably, b is close to 3.0 for all species, and c is a constant that varies among species. Diaz reported that for red snapper, c=0.000010 and b=3.076. These values are for inputs of length in cm and result in weight in kg.

Szedlmayer et al. reported length vs. age data for L. campechanus in a primarily artificial reef environment off the coast of Alabama, US: TL(age) = 1,025 (1 – e^( -0.15 age)), N=409, R = 0.96. For the first five years, growth can be estimated as being approximately linear: TL(age) = 97.7 age + 67.6, N = 397, R = 0.87 (for each equation, age is in years and total length is in mm). Szedlmayer & Shipp 1994, Patterson 1999, Nelson and Manooch 1982, Patterson et al 2001, Wilson & Nieland 2001, and Fischer et al 2004 show L. campechanus growing most rapidly over its first 810 years.

Northern red snappers move to different types of habitats during their growth process. When they are newly spawned, red snapper settle over large areas of open benthic habitat(s). Below age 1, the red snapper move to low-relief habitats for food and cover. If available, oyster shell beds are preferred. The second stage is when these fish outgrow low-relief habitats and move to intermediate-relief habitats as age 1 snapper leave to move on to another growth stage. Next, at about age 2, snapper seek high-relief reefs having low densities of larger snapper. Next, at platforms, smaller snapper occupy the upper water column. Then, the larger, older snapper occupy the deeper areas of the platforms and large benthic reefs and they prevent smaller snapper and other fish from using these habitats. In spite of local habitat preferences, Szedlmayer reported that of 146 L. campechanus tagged, released and recaptured within about a year, 57% were still approximately at their respective release site, and 76% were recaptured within 2 km of their release site. The greatest movement by a single fish was 32 km.

A northern red snapper attains sexual maturity at two to five years old, and an adult snapper can live for more than 50 years. Research from 1999–2001 suggested the populations of red snapper off the coast of Texas reach maturity faster and at a smaller size than populations off of the Louisiana and Alabama coasts.

Source: Wikipedia: Northern red snapper — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_red_snapper (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.