Crimson snapper (Lutjanus erythropterus)

Scientific name: Lutjanus erythropterus Bloch, 1790

The Crimson snapper (Lutjanus erythropterus) is a marine fish of the family Lutjanidae.

Biology

Inhabit trawling grounds and reefs. They are present over shoals, rubble, corals, large epibenthos, hard or sandy mud substrates and offshore reefs. Juveniles from about 2.5 cm length inhabit shallow waters over muddy substrates. Feed on a broad range of prey dominated by fish, and with small amounts of crustaceans, cephalopods and other benthic invertebrates. They forage mostly at night. They are marketed either gilled and gutted, whole as fillets, as fresh chilled or frozen product.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Lutjanus erythropterus
Family: Lutjanidae (Snappers)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 81.6
Common length: 45.0
Depth range: 5–100 m (16–328 ft)
Environment: Marine; reef-associated; depth range 5 - 100 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Gulf of Oman to southeast Asia, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia. This species has been referred to as Lutjanus malabaricus (non Schneider) or Lutjanus altifrontalis by many recent authors. Occurrence in the Red Sea needs confirmation.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.21-0.39; tm=4; tmax=8; Fec=5 million)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026