''Lutjanus novemfasciatus'', the Pacific dog snapper or Pacific cubera snapper, is a
species of marine
ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the
family Lutjanidae. It is native to the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Taxonomy
''Lutjanus novemfasciatus'' was first formally
described in 1862 by the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
ichthyologist
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...
Theodore Nicholas Gill with the
type locality given as
Baja California.
The specific name ''novemfasciatus'' means “nine-banded”, a reference to the nine indistinct bands on its flanks.
Description
''Lutjanus novemfasciatus'' has an oblong body
[ which has a depth of 31% to 35% of its ]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 ...
.[ There is a sharp snout with two pairs of nostrils which are simple holes, one pair at the front and another behind that pair. It has a large, protrusible mouth with conical and canine-like teeth on the jaws, the front teeth being enlarged into “fangs”.]preoperculum
This glossary of ichthyology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in ichthyology, the study of fishes.
A
B
C
...
has an incision and a knob but these are only moderately or weakly developed. The vomerine teeth are arranged in a crescent shaped patch with no rearward extension and the tongue has several patches of granular teeth.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 ...
has 3 spines and 8 soft rays,[ The dorsal fin is continuous with both it and the anal fin having rounded rear ends.][ The pectoral fins have 16 or 17 rays and the caudal fin may be truncate 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 regula ...
.[ This is the largest species of snapper,][ reaching a maximum total length of and a greatest published weight of .][ The overall colour varies from dark to pale red, shading to silver on the abdomen. Juveniles and the majority of adults are marked with 8-9 vertical bars on the upper flanks. Even in barred adults the bars may fade quickly after death.][ The fins are mostly brownish in adults, in juveniles the caudal fin is black and sous the margin of the spiny part of the dorsal fin. The skin on the inside of the mouth is orange.][
]
Distribution and habitat
''Lutjanus novemfasciatus'' is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean where it occurs from southern California to Peru, including the Gulf of California, Galápagos Islands, Cocos Island and Malpelo Island.[ although the juveniles have been recorded entering freshwater.][
]
Biology
''Lutjanus novemfasciatus'' is a nocturnal predator feeding during the night on crustaceans and smaller species of fish which form schools such as croakers, grunts, and wrasses. They shelter in the daylight hours. In Mexico this species is migratory, arriving in inshore waters in early summer, in most years.[
]
Fisheries
''Lutjanus novemfasciatus'' is an important Quarry for subsistence fisheries in Colombia and for commercial fisheries in Nicaragua. It is also a popular target species for spearfishing in the Gulf of California.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3250507
novemfasciatus
Fish described in 1862