Description: color olive gray on upper sides with yellow tinge, sometimes with reddish tinge around head; long triangular snout; eight pale vertical bars on the side of the body; yellow fins; blue stripe below eye, becoming interrupted in adults; no dark lateral spot.
Similar Fish: dog snapper, L. jocu.
Where found: juveniles in grassy flats; adults NEARSHORE especially around elkhorn coral reefs; large adults sometimes found on continental shelf.
Size: usually less than 1 pound.
*Florida Record: n/a
Remarks: spawns in July and August; attain sizes of 8 pounds and 24 inches; slow grower; feeds on crustaceans, small fishes, and gastropods.
* The Florida records quoted are from the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's printed publication, Fishing Lines
and are not necessarily the most current ones. The records are provided as only as a benchmark.
[Fish Identification]
|