''Lutjanus biguttatus'', the two-spot banded snapper or two-spot snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans.

Taxonomy

''Lutjanus biguttatus'' was first formally described as ''Serranus biguttatus'' in 1830 by the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

zoologist Achille Valenciennes with the type locality given as Trincomalee in Sri Lanka and

Ambon Island Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of two territories: the city of Ambon, Maluku, Ambon to the south and various districts ('' ...

in Indonesia. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''biguttatus'' means “two spotted” a reference to the two spots on the back underneath the dorsal fin.

Description

''Lutjanus biguttatus'' has a very slender,

fusiform Fusiform means having a spindle-like shape that is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends. It is similar to the lemon-shape, but often implies a focal broadening of a structure that continues from one or both ends, such as an aneurysm on a b ...

body with a snout which has a low, gently sloping profile. The

preoperculum This glossary of ichthyology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in ichthyology, the study of fishes. A B C ...

’s knob and incision are weak. In the mouth the vomerine teeth are arranged in a triangular patch, with a posterior extension, or in a rhombus shape and there are no teeth on the tongue. The caudal fin is truncate. The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 12 soft rays while the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

contains 3 spines and 8 soft rays. This species has a greyish back, a wide horizontal white stripe running from the mouth to the caudal peduncle bordered on both sides by two reddish-brown stripes. There are two white spots on the back underneath the base of the dorsal fin. The juveniles are largely white with a grey back, a dark brown longitudinal stripe along the lateral line and two indistinct white spots on the back. The maximum

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

recorded for this species is although is more typical.

Distribution and habitat

''Lutjanus biguttatus'' is found in the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region. It is distributed from the Maldives and Sri Lanka through the

Andaman Sea The Andaman Sea (historically also known as the Burma Sea) is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar and Thailand along the Gulf of Martaban and west side of the Malay Peninsula, and separated from ...

and the

Malay Archipelago The Malay Archipelago (Indonesian/Malay: , tgl, Kapuluang Malay) is the archipelago between mainland Indochina and Australia. It has also been called the " Malay world," "Nusantara", "East Indies", Indo-Australian Archipelago, Spices Archipe ...

east as far as the Solomon Islands, north as far as the Philippines and south to Australia, although there are records from farther east in Samoa, Fiji and the Caroline Islands. In Australia it has been recorded in Western Australia from Hibernia Reef to the Scott Reef, the Ashmore Reef in the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the Fre ...

and off the Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland. It is found at depths between on coral reefs.

Biology

''Lutjanus biguttatum'' is an uncommon species but will gather in aggregations of over 100 individuals, although they are frequently encountered as solitary fish. It is a predatory species which feeds largely on smaller fishes and crustaceans.

Fisheries

''Lutjanus biguttatus'' is an important food fish in some areas, such as Sri Lanka, although it is uncommon in fish markers where it is sold fresh. It is caught using traps, hand lines and gill nets.

References

External links

Fishes of Australia : ''Lutjanus biguttatus''
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1842740 biguttatus Fauna of Queensland Fish described in 1830 Taxa named by Achille Valenciennes