Description: Body wide and relatively thick with a sloping forehead and a large round eye and large terminal mouth. Dorsal-fin base long and anal-fin base short. Prominent stout dorsal, anal, and pelvic-fin spines and a large non-serrated preopercular spine.
An earlier version of the following description and some of the photographs have previously been published in Zootaxa (copyright reserved by Magnolia Press): Victor, B.C., Hanner, R., Shivji, M., Hyde, J. & Caldow, C. (2009) Identification of the larval and juvenile stages of the Cubera Snapper, Lutjanus cyanopterus, using DNA barcoding. Zootaxa, 2215, 24-36. Diagnosis: Modal fin-ray counts of D-X,14 A-III,8 are shared among most of the regional Lutjanus, including L. analis, L. apodus, L. cyanopterus, L. griseus, L. jocu and the deep-water snappers L. buccanella, L. campechanus, and L. vivanus. Juvenile L. cyanopterus have an indistinct barred pattern without a lateral spot. Adult Cubera snappers are the largest Western Atlantic snappers and can reach four feet in length and weigh up to 125 pounds. (DNA)
Pretransitional mostly-unmarked stage, usually from 15-18 mm SL: Body: A thin line of melanophores develops on each side just below the base of the spinous dorsal fin, from the third to sixth and then from the eighth to tenth spines (leaving an unpigmented dorsal midline along the base of the fin). Continuing along the base of the soft dorsal fin, the melanophore row widens to cover the outer pterygiophore segments, intensifying beneath the fourth to eighth and the last two rays and then extending along the dorsal midline of the caudal peduncle, ending at the start of the procurrent caudal-fin rays. Early transitional larvae begin to develop short melanophore streaks lining some of the myomere edges along the mid-upper body. A central patch of surface melanophores develops on the end of the caudal peduncle, then filling in progressively from ventral to dorsal. There are a few deep melanophores at the end of the lateral midline of the caudal peduncle. Along the ventral midline of the caudal peduncle there is a line of melanophores starting just after the melanophore underlying the base of the last anal-fin rays and extending up to the procurrent caudal-fin rays. Head: Melanophores on the head consist of a dense patch overlying the brain and on the surface braincase with a scattering developing between the braincase and the first dorsal-fin spine. A patch of small melanophores develops at the tip of the upper jaw and then extends upward along the snout. The lower jaw is mostly unmarked, with only a few small melanophores near the tip. The opercular area is covered in iridescence extending down to the pelvic-fin insertion. The inner cleithral surface of the gill cavity is speckled with large melanophores and there are internal melanophores lining the dorsal aspect of the peritoneum extending down to the vent and overlain by a silvery camouflage layer. Fin Spines: The dorsal and anal-fin spines are relatively slender, without prominent internal reticulations or serrations. The second dorsal-fin spine is the longest, with the spines becoming progressively and evenly shorter such that the profile of the spinous tips forms a straight downward-sloping line. Fins: Melanophores on the dorsal-fin membranes are present along the full length of the membrane just behind the second dorsal-fin spine and then densely on the outer third of all of the subsequent spinous-dorsal-fin membranes. The soft dorsal fin is unmarked. There are a few melanophores between the bases of the lower central caudal-fin segmented rays. The anal fin is unmarked. The pelvic fins have dense melanophores along the outer third of the fin membranes of the longest two or three rays. Pretransitional analogues: Pretransitional larvae (mostly-unmarked, usually from 15-18 mm SL) have relatively slender and smooth dorsal and anal-fin spines, without the prominent internal reticulations and anterior serrations found in L. griseus, L. apodus, and L. jocu. In addition, amongst the regional Lutjanus only L. cyanopterus and L. analis have a mostly unmarked anal fin, with no melanophores on the membranes or even at teh base of most of the anal-fin elements before transition. Pretransitional L. cyanopterus share the relatively slender and smooth dorsal-fin spines and snout melanophores with L. analis, but have a distinctly-wider caudal peduncle and melanophores on the outer third of the longest pelvic-fin membranes (vs. full-length or none). On larval L. cyanopterus the dorsal-fin spines (after the first) are evenly and progressively shorter, unlike some other species. The anterior snout and upper jaw are speckled with melanophores with only a few on the lower jaw (vs. roughly similar on the upper and lower jaw and/or not on the snout as well in other species). L. cyanopterus larvae have a wider caudal peduncle than other regional Lutjanus species (body depth after last dorsal ray goes fewer than 2.5 times into body depth at first dorsal-fin spine).
Juveniles: Juvenile L. cyanopterus have few distinguishing markings, primarily indistinct vertical bars and a dark outer portion of the spinous dorsal fin with abruptly-light edging. The black markings on the outer third of the pelvic-fin membranes shown by larvae can also persist well into the juvenile stage. Dark variants develop a black cap across the eyeball, uniformly-darkened pelvic-fin membranes, and intensified dark bars on the body and black edging to the spinous dorsal fin. Even in the juvenile stage, Cubera snappers have markedly-enlarged canine teeth. The body shape of juveniles and adults differs from other regional snappers in being longer and narrower; the body depth (predorsal) of L. cyanopterus juveniles goes at least 2.8 times into SL (vs. 2.4 or fewer). Juvenile analogues: Juvenile L. cyanopterus have no lateral spot (vs. L. analis, L. mahogoni, L. synagris, and the deep-water snappers) and lack the prominent eye stripes or blue lines across the cheek characteristic of L. apodus, L. jocu and L. griseus. In addition, the other regional Lutjanus have distinctly wider bodies as both juveniles and adults: the predorsal body depth of L. cyanopterus juveniles goes at least 2.8 times into SL (vs. 2.4 or fewer).
MZUSP 65931 (1, 131), Lagoa de Mundaú ( 9°37’S , 35°48’W ), Maceió , State of Alagoas , Brazil .
The cubera snapper (Lutjanus cyanopterus), also known as the Cuban snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the western Atlantic Ocean. It is a commercially important species and is a sought-after game fish, though it has been reported to cause ciguatera poisoning.
The cubera snapper was first formally described as Mesoprion cyanopterus in 1828 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier with the type locality given as Brazil.[3] The specific name is a compound of cyano meaning "blue" and pterus which means "fin" as Cuvier described it as having bluish-black membranes on its median fins.[4]
The cubera snapper has an oval-shaped, rather streamlined, elongate body, which is less deep than many other snapper species.[5] It has a pair of front nostrils and a pair of rear nostrils that are simple holes in its snout. The mouth is relatively large[6] with thick lips.[7] The jaws are equipped with canine teeth, one enlarged pair being visible when the mouth is closed.[8] The vomerine teeth are arranged in a crescent-shaped or triangular patch with no central posterior extension,[7] with a tooth patch on each side of the roof of the mouth.[6] The preoperculum has a weakly developed knob and notch.[7] This species has long pectoral fins, a continuous dorsal fin, and a truncated caudal fin.[8] The dorsal fin contains 10 spines and 14 soft rays, while the anal fin has three spines and seven or eight soft rays,[2] sometimes, a notch is seen behind the spiny part of the dorsal fin.[6] The maximum total length recorded for this species is 160 cm (63 in), although a length of 90 cm (35 in) is more typical; the maximum published weight is 57 kg (126 lb).[2] The overall colour of this species is grey to dark brown with pale to dark-grey flanks with some individuals showing a slight reddish hue on the body. The caudal fin is light grey, the pectoral fins may be translucent to pale grey, and a bluish hue is seen on the anal, pectoral, and pelvic fins. The juveniles show an indistinct barred pattern on their flanks.[5]
The cubera snapper is found in the western Atlantic Ocean, from as far north as Nova Scotia to as far south as Santa Catarina in Brazil,and throughout the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico and around Bermuda.[1] It has been recorded from the Flores Islands in the Azores.[9] It occurs at depths between 1 and 85 m (3 ft 3 in and 278 ft 10 in). The juveniles shelter within beds of sea grass in in-shore waters or in mangroves, and have been recorded entering fresh water. The adults move off-shore, where they inhabit rocky ledge and reef habitats.[10]
Cubera snapper adults are solitary fish that have a maximum longevity of 55 years.[11]
The cubera snapper is the largest species of snapper and is a predatory fish, its main prey being other fishes, with some crustaceans.[10] The large canine teeth allow this species to feed on large crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs. They forage near the bottom or in the vicinity of hard structures. The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) feeds on the newly laid pelagic spawn of cubera snappers, while the larger fish are prey to moray eels, barracudas, groupers, other snappers, and sharks.[8]
The cubera snapper spawns from May until August, when their gathering into large spawning aggregations is determined by the lunar cycles. They gather in large numbers, up to 10,000 fish over shallow spawning sites in off-shore waters at places such as outer reef slopes and sandy drop-offs.[10] The eggs hatch within a day of fertilisation and the larvae are pelagic, drifting with the currents until they settle.[8]
The cubera snapper is considered to be a good-quality food fish,[7] although larger fish in some areas are known to cause ciguatera poisoning in humans who consume their flesh.[8] It is caught using hook-and-line with bottom longlines, gill nets, and bottom trawls, and occasionally by spearfishing.[7] In areas where the larger fish are ciguatoxic, no fishery exists, as in Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles, or only smaller fish are consumed, as happens in the Florida Keys.[1] In the United States, this species is subject to bag and size limits for both commercial and recreational fisheries.[11] The predictable and accessible spawning aggregations of this species make it vulnerable to overfishing, and the catch decreased by over 60% off the Atlantic coast of the United States in the 20 years up to 2015; the numbers spawning off Cuba and Brazil had also decreased. In Brazil, some stocks have declined so much that they are commercially extinct. The IUCN predict further declines unless aggregations are protected, so listed the species as vulnerable.[1]
The cubera snapper (Lutjanus cyanopterus), also known as the Cuban snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the western Atlantic Ocean. It is a commercially important species and is a sought-after game fish, though it has been reported to cause ciguatera poisoning.
