Lutjanus bohar, the two-spot red snapper, the red bass, twinspot snapper or bohar snapper, is a
species of marine
ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the
familyLutjanidae, not to be confused with the unrelated
Australian snapper. It has a wide
Indo-Pacific distribution.
The two-spot red snapper can reach a length of 90 cm (35 in), though most do not exceed 76 cm (30 in). The greatest recorded weight for this species is 12.5 kg (28 lb). These large reddish tropical snappers show darker fins, a rounded profile of head and a groove running from the nostrils to the eyes. They have 10 dorsal spines and 3 anal spines. Juveniles and some adults have two silvery-white spots (hence the common name) on the back close to their dorsal fins, while larger adults lose the spots and become mostly red.[5] Large adults may cause
ciguatera poisoning.[5]
It is a long-lived and slow-growing species which reaches maturity at 8–9 years, and the oldest recorded individual is 56.[5] These fishes are carnivorous, mostly feeding on other fishes,
crustaceans and
molluscs.[5]
Adult snappers often form large schools on the outer reefs or above sandy areas, mainly to form spawning aggregations. Small brownish juveniles mimic damselfishes of the genus
Chromis in order to approach their prey.[5]
The
chambered nautilus, Nautilus pompilius, is known to scavenge deceased snappers. A pair of nautiluses recorded feeding on a snapper at 703 metres below the surface constitutes the deepest recorded sighting of any nautilus species.[7]
Distribution
This species is native to the
Indian Ocean. It is widespread in the Indo-Pacific from the east
African coast, north to the
Red Sea, to the western
Pacific Ocean, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Australia.
Habitat
It is a
coral reef inhabitant, being found at depths from 4 to 180 m (13 to 591 ft), though usually between 10 and 70 m (33 and 230 ft).[5]
Bibliography
Allen, G.R., 1985. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 6. Snappers of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lutjanid species known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(6):208 p. Rome: FAO.
Frimodt, C., 1995. Multilingual illustrated guide to the world's commercial coldwater fish. Fishing News Books, Osney Mead, Oxford,. 215 p.
Fenner, Robert M.: The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. Neptune City, USA: T.F.H. Publications, 2001.
Helfman, G., B. Collette y D. Facey: The diversity of fishes. Blackwell Science, Malden, Massachusetts, USA, 1997.
Hoese, D.F. 1986: . A M.M. Smith y P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany.
Maugé, L.A. 1986. A J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse y D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA).
Moyle, P. y J. Cech.: Fishes: An Introduction to Ichthyology, 4th. Ed., Upper Saddle River, USA: Prentice-Hall. Año 2000.
Nelson, J.: Fishes of the World, 3rd ed.. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Wheeler, A.: The World Encyclopedia of Fishes, 2nd. Ed. London: Macdonald. 1985.
^Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (5 January 2021).
"Order LUTJANIFORMES: Families HAEMULIDAE and LUTJANIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 4 June 2021.