Cubera snapper

Lutjanus cyanopterus
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 2.3)[1]
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

Lutjanus cyanopterus, the Cubera snapper, is a species of snapper native to the western Atlantic Ocean where it can be found from Nova Scotia to the mouths of 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 of from 18 to 55 metres (59 to 180 ft). This species can reach a length of 160 centimetres (63 in) TL though most do not exceed 90 centimetres (35 in). The greatest recorded weight for a specimen of this species is 57 kilograms (126 lb). It is commercially important and is also sought out as a game fish though it has been reported to cause ciguatera poisoning.^[2]

References