African forktail snapper
Apsilus fuscus
Mahogany Snapper
Lutjanus mahogoni
About
The mahogany snapper is a reef fish of the Caribbean, often seen resting in large groups by day before scattering to hunt at night. It reaches up to 48 cm, though most are closer to 38 cm.
Also known as: spot snapper, lantern jaw
- Length
- 38 cm · max 48 cm
- Weight
- max 1.3 kg
- Depth
- up to 100 m
How to tell it apart
Confirm it by the black, eye-sized spot on the lateral line below the front of the dorsal fin. This spot stays fixed, unlike the body's grey-to-olive shade, which can vary.
Appearance
Its back and upper side are grey to dark olive, fading to silver below. Most fish have a black spot, about the size of the eye, on the lateral line - the faint line running along the flank - below the front of the dorsal fin. The lower jaw sticks out slightly past the upper jaw.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
