Sailfin snapper (Symphorichthys spilurus)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Symphorichthys spilurus · Authority: (Günther, 1874) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 282914.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Symphorus spilurus Günther, 1874.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=282914 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 60 cm · Common length: 50 cm · Depth range: 5–60 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 44 of 100 · Fishery importance: minor commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Adults occur over sand bottoms in the vicinity of coral reefs. Usually seen singly. They feed on fishes and sand-dwelling crustaceans and mollusks. Mature individuals aggregate to spawn along seaward reefs (Ref. 9710). They are occasionally seen in markets.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 214) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Symphorichthys-spilurus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

124 georeferenced occurrence records for Symphorichthys spilurus are published through GBIF from 11 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 41 distinct locations from a sample of 124 records, omitting 3 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 (61); Philippines (22); Indonesia (16); Palau (15); Papua New Guinea (4); Mexico (1); Malaysia (1); New Caledonia (1); Solomon Islands (1); Chinese Taipei (1); Viet Nam (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2384695) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2384695&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=282914 (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 Symphorichthys spilurus (Günther, 1874) 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 194402) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/194402/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2384695) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2384695/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The sailfin snapper was first formally described in 1874 by the German-born British ichthyologist Albert Günther as Symphorus spilurus with the type locality given as Palau. The Australian marine scientist Ian Stafford Ross Munro placed it in the monotypic genus Symphorichthys in 1967. The genus Symphorichthys is one of two genera in the subfamily Paradicichthyinae of the snapper family Lutjanidae. The genus name Symphorichthys is a reference to the former classification within the genus Symphorus. The specific name spilurus is a compound of spilos meaning "spot" and urus meaning "tail", a reference to the sizeable black blotch on the dorsal surface of the adults' caudal peduncle.

The sailfin snapper has a body which is deep and laterally compressed with a rounded dorsal profile of the head, an angular forehead and a steeply sloped snout. The mouth extends as far back as the anterior edge of the eye. There is no incision or protuberance on the preoperculum. The upper jaw has a row of small, flattened teeth with roughly 3 rows in the lower jaw, both jaws have an outer row of short conical teeth, a little bigger than the other teeth. There is no patch of vomerine teeth. The dorsal fin has 10 spine and 14–18 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 8–11 soft rays. At least one of the anterior soft rays in both the dorsal and anal fins extends beyond the fin membrane to create a long filament. The pectoral fins are long, sometimes extending past the level of the anus and contain 16 fin rays. The caudal fin is emarginate. This species attains a maximum total length of 60 cm, although of 50 cm is more typical. The colour of the body is yellowish body with blue horizontal stripes along the flanks. There is a large pale-margined black spot on the upper caudal peduncle, an orange bar over the eye and another to the rear of the head. The juveniles have an overall pale greyish colour broken by a wide white-bordered black stripe running along the middle of the flanks from the snout to the rear margin of the tail. The juveniles have the elongated filaments in the dorsal and anal fin but these are yellowish.

The sailfin snapper is found in the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. In the Indian Ocean it occurs at the Rowley Shoals and near Broome, Western Australia. In the Pacific Ocean it is found east as far as Tonga and Fiji, north to the Ryukyu Islands and south to New Caledonia and the Great Barrier Reef. There are also records from the Mentawai Islands off western Sumatra and off the west coast of Thailand. It occurs at depths between 5 and 60 m. It lives in areas of sand near to reefs in lagoons and over outer reefs.

The sailfin snapper is typically encountered singly but adults aggregate to spawn along the outer edges of reefs. They forage in the sand for benthic crustaceans and molluscs as well as preying on fishes.

The sailfin snapper is targeted in mixed-species fisheries throughout its range. In areas such as the Philippines it is known to be overfished, while in others, for example Palau, pressure is lighter. It is caught predominantly using handlines and bottom trawling. The juveniles appear in the aquarium trade.

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