Tang's snapper (Lipocheilus carnolabrum)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Lipocheilus carnolabrum · Authority: (Chan, 1970) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 218471.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Tangia carnolabrum Chan, 1970.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218471 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 50 cm · Common length: 60 cm · Depth range: 90–340 m · Habitat zone: demersal · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 49.6 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Adults are found over rocky bottoms of the continental shelf. Probably feed on fishes and large invertebrates.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 1394) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Lipocheilus-carnolabrum.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

83 georeferenced occurrence records for Lipocheilus carnolabrum are published through GBIF from 10 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 31 distinct locations from a sample of 83 records, omitting 8 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 (47); Philippines (13); Myanmar (8); Chinese Taipei (5); Japan (3); India (2); Solomon Islands (2); Hong Kong (1); New Caledonia (1); Viet Nam (1).

Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: Djiboutian Exclusive Economic Zone.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2385250) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2385250&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=218471 (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 Lipocheilus carnolabrum (Chan, 1970) 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 194336) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/194336/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 2385250) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/2385250/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Tang's snapper has a body which is around 40% as deep as its standard length. It has a large mouth, the upper jaw protruded when the mouth is closed, with the adults having a thick, fleshy knob on the front of the upper lip The space between the eyes can either be flat or convex. There are palatine and vomerine teeth, with the vomerine teeth being arranged in a V-shaped patch. The caudal fin has a moderate fork. The dorsal fin contains 10 spines and 10 soft rays, the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays and there are no scales on either of these fins. The rearmost soft rays in the dorsal and anal fins not produced. The pectoral fins are long and they extend to past the anus. The upper part of the head and body are brown with yellowish or pinkish flanks and a silvery sheen on the underside. This species grows to 60 cm in total length.

Tang's snapper has a wide Indo-West Pacific distribution. Despite this wide range it has been recorded from only a few localities. These include the Ryukyu Islands, the South China Sea, the Andaman Sea, and the northwestern section of the Arabian Sea. It has also been recorded from the Lakshadweep Islands and Sri Lanka, Vanuatu, northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Tang's snapper is a demersal species which occurs over rocky bottoms and rocky reefs on the continental shelf at depths between 90 and 340 m. It is probably a predator of fishes and larger invertebrates. It is characteristic component of the assemblage of fish species occurring at depths of more than 200 m in offshore waters.

Tang's snapper was first formally described in 1970 as Tangia carnolabrum by Chan William Lai-Yee with the type locality given as being in the South China Sea, about 145 km to the southeast of Hong Kong at a depth of 110 to 130 m. The genus name, Tangia, was preoccupied by a genus of leafhoppers in the family Tropiduchidae, so in 1977 the new genus name Lipocheilus was coined by William D. Anderson Jr., Purnesh Kumar Talwar and G. David Johnson, the novel name being a compound of meaning 'fat' and meaning 'lip', a reference to the fleshy knob on the upper lip; the specific name carnolabrum means 'fleshy lips' for a similar reason. It is the only member of its genus.

Tang's snapper is a target species for of long-line fisheries, especially on the continental shelf off southern China while in Papua New Guinea, this species is commercially important despite not being directly targeted by fisheries. It was formerly caught as bycatch in the Western Deepwater Trawl Fishery in Australia, however as of 2016 this was not an active fishery. It is caught using handlines, longlines and bottom trawls.

Source: Wikipedia: Tang's snapper — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang%27s_snapper (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.