Yellow snapper (Lutjanus argentiventris)

Scientific name: Lutjanus argentiventris Peters, 1869

The Yellow snapper (Lutjanus argentiventris) is a brackish-water fish of the family Lutjanidae. Native range: Eastern Pacific, southern California to Peru, rare north of Baja California, Mexico; also at the Cocos and Galapagos islands.

Biology

Found in inshore reef areas over hard bottoms until at least 60 m depth. Tolerant to freshwaters. Form aggregations during daylight and shelter as solitary fish in caverns. Feed on fishes, shrimps, crabs and mollusks. Marketed fresh or frozen.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Lutjanus argentiventris
Family: Lutjanidae (Snappers)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 71.0
Depth range: 3–60 m (10–197 ft)
Environment: Marine; brackish; reef-associated; depth range 3 - 60 m
Climate: Subtropical
Distribution: Eastern Pacific: southern California to Peru, rare north of Baja California, Mexico; also at the Cocos and Galapagos islands.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: experimental
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.15;)

Sources

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

Last updated 27 September 2026