Name: Mangrove Red Snapper
Local name: Shoggarah
Scientific name: Lutjanus argentimaculatus
Classification: Class: ray-finned fishes; Order: perch-likes; Family: snappers (Lutjanidae)
Size: It commonly attains 80 cm in total length with a maximum of about 120 cm.
Habitat:
Adults inhabit offshore areas and seaward coral assemblages in groups, sometimes occurring down to more than 100 m depth. Juveniles and young adults are often found in mangrove areas and tidal creeks. The Mangrove Red Snapper is mainly nocturnal, and feeds mostly on fishes and crustaceans.
Distribution:
This species is widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa, east to Samoa, north to Japan, and south to Australia.
Conservation status:
It has not yet been assessed globally by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In a recent regional assessment for the Arabian Gulf it was classified as Least Concern (LC). The species is mainly caught by bottom longlines and handlines. It is a highly prized food fish.
Description:
The body is oblong and moderately compressed. The mouth is large with the lower jaw slightly projecting. The posterior margins of the dorsal and anal fins are rounded; the hind margin of the caudal fin is truncate. Adults are greenish brown on the back, grading to reddish on the flanks and ventral parts. Scales on the body are dark brown and silvery, giving a linear effect. Young have a curving blue line from above the middle of the upper jaw to below the eye, and smaller juveniles have about eight narrow pale bars on the body.
