The bluestriped snapper (''Lutjanus notatus'') is a species of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

, a snapper belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Lutjanidae Lutjanidae, or snappers are a family of perciform fish, mainly marine, but with some members inhabiting estuaries, feeding in fresh water. The family includes about 113 species. Some are important food fish. One of the best known is the red snapp ...

. It is found in the southwestern Indian Ocean.

Taxonomy

The bluestriped snapper was first formally described in 1828 by the French

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...

Georges Cuvier with the type locality given as the Indian Ocean. The specific name, ''notatus'', means “marked”, a reference to the black spot which is often visible below the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

Description

The bluestriped snapper has a relatively deep body which has a standard length that is 2.5 to 2.7 times as long as the body at its deepest point. It has a steeply sloped forehead, and the preopercular incision and knob are well developed. The

vomerine teeth The vomer (; lat, vomer, lit=ploughshare) is one of the unpaired facial bones of the skull. It is located in the midsagittal line, and articulates with the sphenoid, the ethmoid, the left and right palatine bones, and the left and right maxill ...

are arranged in a crescent shaped patch with no central rearwards extension and there are no teeth on the tongue. The

has 11-12 spines and 12-13 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 7-8 soft rays. The rear of the dorsal fin and the anal fin are rounded. The

pectoral 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 ...

s have 15-16 rays and the

caudal 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 ...

truncate In mathematics and computer science, truncation is limiting the number of digits right of the decimal point. Truncation and floor function Truncation of positive real numbers can be done using the floor function. Given a number x \in \mathb ...

or weakly

emarginate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

. This fish attains a maximum

total 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 ...

of , although is more typical. The head and the part of the back behind the head ate brownish, the flanks are yellow and the abdomen is pale yellowish white. There is a series of 6 thin blue horizontal stripes on the flanks, the highest three sloping upwards towards the base of the dorsal fin. There is a frequently dark spot on the lateral line, similar in size to the pupil, below the front of the soft rayed part of the dorsal fin. The fins are mostly yellow.

Distribution and habitat

The bluestriped snapper is found in the southwestern Indian Ocean. It has been recorded from South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius and Réunion. It has been recorded from India. The adults are found over coral reefs. They are found at depths between .

Biology

The bluestriped snapper is normally a solitary species but it has been known to form small schools of 5-10 individuals. It is a predatory fish which feeds on other fishes and benthic invertebrates.

Fisheries

The bluestriped snapper is fished for by artisanal fisheries wherever it occurs, however, only small quantities are observed in local markets They are taken with handlines, traps and

gill net Gillnetting is a fishing method that uses gillnets: vertical panels of netting that hang from a line with regularly spaced floaters that hold the line on the surface of the water. The floats are sometimes called "corks" and the line with corks is ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1872627 Lutjanus Fish described in 1828