Silk snapper (Lutjanus vivanus)

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 vivanus · Authority: (Cuvier, 1828) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 159801.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Lutianus vivanus (Cuvier, 1828); Lutjanus torridus Cope, 1871; Mesoprion profundus Poey, 1860; Mesoprion vivanus Cuvier, 1828; Neomaenis hastingsi Bean, 1898; Neomansis hastingsi Bean, 1898.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159801 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 83 cm · Common length: 45 cm · Depth range: 90–242 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: fusiform / normal · Vulnerability index: 36.8 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Adults are common near the edge of the continental and island shelves; also found in deeper waters (below 200 m); usually ascending to shallow water at night. They feed mainly on fishes, shrimps, crabs, gastropods, cephalopods, tunicates and some pelagic items including urochordates. Marketed fresh. Said to be a good food fish (Ref. 5521).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 185) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Lutjanus-vivanus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

243 georeferenced occurrence records for Lutjanus vivanus are published through GBIF from 28 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 106 distinct locations from a sample of 243 records, omitting 19 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 (50); Brazil (36); Colombia (28); Mexico (16); Virgin Islands (U.S.) (13); Bahamas (9); French Guiana (9); Puerto Rico (9); Guyana (6); Nicaragua (6); Panama (6); Trinidad and Tobago (6); Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) (6); Bermuda (5); Belize (5).

Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: North West Atlantic; Gulf of Mexico.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2384856) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2384856&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159801 (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 vivanus (Cuvier, 1828) 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 194406) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/194406/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2384856) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2384856/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The silk snapper was first formally described in 1828 as Mesoprion vivanus by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier with the type locality given as Martinique. The specific name vivanus is derived from vivaneau and vivanet, the local French names for this species on Martinique possibly originating from vivax, meaning "lively".

Description

The silk snapper has a moderately deep body with quite a sharp snout, the body has an oblong shape and is laterally compressed. The front and rear nostrils are simple holes. It has a large mouth with an upper jaw which can be protruded, this slips under the cheek bone when the mouth is closed.

It has 1-2 rows of conical teeth on each jaw, the front teeth being enlarged into canines. the vomerine teeth are arranged in an anchor shaped patch with a rearwards extension on middle of the roof of the mouth, there is a patch of teeth on each side of the roof of the mouth. There is a deep incision on the lower margin of the preoperculum. The dorsal fin is continuous and has no incision.

7-8 soft rays. Both these fins are scaled. The pectoral fins are elongate, roughly equal in length to the head in adults. The caudal fin is emarginate.

The overall colour is red to pinkish-red, paler on the abdomen. Some individuals are marked with very thin wavy yellow lines on the flank. A feature differentiating this species from similar sympatric congeners is the vivid yellow iris.

The fins are reddish although the anal and dorsal fins are tinted with yellow. The caudal fin has a dark margin and the pectoral fins are light yellow pectoral fins. The Juveniles have a black or red spot on the upper flanks just underneath the origin of the dorsal fin.

Distribution and habitat

The silk snapper is a species of the Western Atlantic Ocean. It occurs from North Carolina and Bermuda south through the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico south as far as São Paulo, Brazil, including Trindade Island.

It is found at depths from 9 to 450 m. The silk snapper occurs on the edge of continental and island shelves over substrates of sand, gravel, and coral. The juveniles inhabit shallower waters than the adults.

Biology

The silk snapper spends the day in deeper waters, ascending the water column at night to hunt. They are mainly predators of fish but also prey on crabs, isopods, octopus, and shrimp.

This species has a maximum longevity as much as 33 years. They spawn over much of the year in lower latitudes, but are spring and summer spawners in the more temperate parts of their range. This species attains sexual maturity in males at 38 cm and 50 cm in females off Puerto Rico.

Fisheries

The silk snapper is caught by commercial, artisanal and recreational fisheries. Fishers use traps, hook and line and sometimes bottom trawls, especially as bycatch in shrimp fisheries in Mexico. There have been reports of cases of ciguatera poisoning related to the consumption of the flesh of the silk snapper.

Source: Wikipedia: Silk snapper — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_snapper (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.