Cubera snapper

Cubera snapper
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Lutjanidae
Genus: Lutjanus
Species: L. cyanopterus
Binomial name
Lutjanus cyanopterus
(G. Cuvier, 1828)
Synonyms
  • Mesoprion cyanopterus G. Cuvier, 1828
  • Mesoprion pargus G. Cuvier, 1828
  • Lutjanus cubera Poey, 1871

The Cubera snapper, Lutjanus cyanopterus, is a species of snapper native to the western Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia to the Amazon River in Brazil, though it is rare north of Florida. It can also be found in the Caribbean Sea and, rarely, in the Gulf of Mexico. It inhabits areas associated with reefs, preferring areas with rocky substrates. It can be found at depths from 18 to 55 metres (59 to 180 ft). This species can reach a length of 160 cm (63 in), though most do not exceed 90 cm (35 in). The greatest recorded weight for a specimen of this species is 57 kg (126 lb). It is commercially important and is also sought-after as a game fish, though it has been reported to cause ciguatera poisoning.[2]

References

  1. Huntsman, G. 1996. Lutjanus cyanopterus. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 13 January 2014.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). "Lutjanus cyanopterus" in FishBase. December 2013 version.
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