Lutjanus griseus
Ecological Descriptors
|
Habitat |
Size (cm)) |
Diet |
Behaviour |
Sex |
R, Co, (Man) |
85 |
Pisc, Cru, Mol |
Sh |
F |
Description:
Adult: Body oblong-shaped, with a triangular head and a shallow notched tail. Slightly upturned snout with a large mouth and prominent canine teeth near the front of the jaw. Dorsal profile of the head slightly concave. Body varies from pale gray to dark gray or reddish brown, often tinged with olive, bronze or red, (which makes them easily confused with the Dog Snapper). Color may lighten or darker dramatically. Occasionally with faint body bars or blotches, tail may have a dark margin. Anal fin rounded. They might display a dark stripe that runs from their lips up through their eye and just past upper operculum, though less often as they age.. Fins grey (although younger individuals might have yellow, or even reddish fins/ tails).
Juvenile: Young specimens usually have a dark stripe from the snout through the eye to the upper opercle and a blue stripe on the cheek below the eye. Fins can be yellow or have a reddidh tint.
Ecology
Inhabits coastal as well as offshore waters, down to 180m. Found on hard bottomed areas, around reefs, rocky areas and mangrove areas. Often forming large aggregations. 'Euryphagic organisms' with a broad diet, feeding mainly at night on small fish, shrimps, crabs, gastropods, cephalopods and some planktonic species. It is typically found at depths of 30-80 m in large schools.
Life Cycle:
Spawns offshore in groups during the Summer, with lunar activity influcing it's cycle, forming spawning aggregations during full moon. The mangrove snapper can spawn repeatedly during the spawning season. Spawns demersal eggs,approximately 20 hours after fertilization hatch sparsely pigmented larvae. Within 45 hours, the yolk sac is absorbed. After larvae feed among the plankton. Post-larval mangrove snappers inhabit estuarine habitats including mangrove and sea-grass beds. Predator protection and rich food sources are provided by these estuarine nurseries. Juvenile mangrove snappers feed daily until they are of an appropriate size and then move into rocky areas that are shallow and coastal reefs. It matures at a size of 18 to 33 cm, after about 2 years of age. The life span can reach 21-28 years.
Mangrove/ Grey Snapper
Synonyms:
Gray Snapper
Mangrove Snapper
Mangrove/ Grey Snapper
Mangrove/ Grey Snapper Juvenile
87
227
84
561
Mangrove/ Grey Snapper