Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system

Español  Contact

Species: Lutjanus griseus, Gray Snapper

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

slender
grey +/- oblique head stripe
juv: strong bars, D edge blackish
D usually 14
roof mouth tooth patch: anchor shaped
large upper canines
pectoral short
A 8 end rounded
LL 43-47

Lutjanus griseus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Gray Snapper

Body relatively slender (depth 32-37% SL), compressed, head relatively pointed; 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, strong canines at front of top jaws; 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; 12-14 lower gill rakers; preopercle serrated, lower margin weakly notched; dorsal continuous, often with slight notch behind spiny part, usually X, 14; anal III, 8 (7-8), fin tip rounded; pectoral fin short, length ~same as distance from snout tip to rear edge of preopercle; tail edge slightly concave; body, cheek and operculum scaly; snout, below eye and both jaws scale-less; lateral line scales 43-47; membranes of soft dorsal and anal fins scaly.

Variable: back and upper sides grey-green to dark olive, with a reddish tinge; lower parts paler; often a broad oblique dark bar from tip of snout through eye to origin of dorsal fin; sometimes with pale bars on upper body. Juvenile: more prominently barred than adult, often with a blue line on cheek; outer edge of dorsal fin blackish.

Reaches ~66 cm. (Larger records likely are L. cyanopterus).

Mangroves, sloughs, estuaries, reefs, lower reaches of rivers, occasionally in fresh water.

Depth: 1-180 m.

Both sides of the Atlantic; Massachusetts south throughout the Caribbean. Records of this species in Brazil refer to L. alexandrei.


High Resolution Map Download

Species Data Create Report Export as Word File Export as Excel File
Salinity
  • Brackish
  • Freshwater
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Rocks
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Submerged vegetation
  • Corals
  • Estuary
  • Freshwater
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Zooplankton
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • Transatlantic (East+West Atlantic)
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Extends North of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 66
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 180