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Species: Lutjanus buccanella, Blackfin snapper

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

red/orange
iris yellow
juv: grey, tail base & C yellow, pectoral base black
D usually 14
pectoral base: black blotch
roof mouth tooth patch: anchor shaped
A end rounded
LL 47-50

Lutjanus buccanella (Cuvier, 1828)

Blackfin snapper

Body relatively deep, compressed; front and rear nostrils simple holes; mouth relatively large, top jaw moderately protrusible, slips under cheek bone for most of its length when mouth is closed; one or more rows of pointed conical teeth on jaws, some as canines; an anchor shaped patch of teeth with a rear extension on center of roof of mouth; sides of roof of mouth with 1 pair of tooth patches; 17-19 lower gill rakers; preopercle serrated, lower margin weakly notched; dorsal continuous, often with slight notch behind spiny part, usually X, 14; anal III, 8 (rarely 9), fin tip rounded; tail edge slightly concave; body, cheek and operculum scaly; snout, below eye and both jaws scale-less;  lateral line scales 47-50; membranes of soft dorsal and anal fins scaly.

Upper head and body scarlet to orange; iris yellow to orange; a large pronounced dark spot on inner and outer base of pectoral; a dark area on scales at base of soft dorsal fin; upper tail base, most of soft dorsal, most of anal and all of tail fin yellow to greenish yellow. Juvenile: grey brown, with yellow tail base and tail fin; pectoral with black base.

Reaches 75 cm; 14 kg.

Sandy and rocky bottoms and near dropoffs.

Depth range: 15-273 m; juveniles usually 35-50 m, adults below 60 m.

N Carolina to NE Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Marine Only
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Corals
  • Sand & gravel
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Rocks
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Bony fishes
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
  • Sponges/seasquirts/bryozoa
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • Transatlantic (East+West Atlantic)
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • All species.
Regional Endemism
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • All species..
  • Island (s)
  • Continent
  • Also in Brazil
  • Extends North of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Extends South of GC
  • Extends N + S of GC
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Data deficient
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 75
Depth Range Min
  • 15
Depth Range Max
  • 273