Species: Lutjanus peru, Pacific red snapper

Lutjanus peru (Nichols & Murphy, 1922)

Pacific red snapper

Body oval; front and rear nostrils simple holes; large adults develop a groove from front of eye to nostrils, and another behind eye; mouth relatively large and protractile; teeth conical to caniniform, those at front of jaws generally enlarged and fang-like; tooth patch at central roof of mouth diamond shaped, with or without a moderate sized rear extention; sides of roof of mouth with 1 tooth patch; 16-17 gill rakers; preopercle serrated, lower margin notched; dorsal rays X, 13-14; dorsal continuous; anal rays III, 8; soft dorsal with rounded end, soft anal with pointed end; tail with concave edge; bases of soft dorsal and anal fins scaly; scale rows on upper back rising obliquely above lateral line.