Family : Lutjanidae (Snappers) , subfamily: Lutjaninae
Order : Perciformes  (perch-likes)
Class : Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Fishbase Name : Humphead snapper
Fish Name : Lutjanus sanguineus
Max size : 100.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 9710); max. published weight: 23.0 kg (Ref. 469); max. reported age: 13 years
Environment : reef-associated ; depth range 9 - 100 m
Climate : tropical; 31°N - 30°S
Global Importance : fisheries: highly commercial; aquarium: commercial
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.24; tm=2.5-6; tmax=13)Distribution : Western Indian Ocean: Red Sea east to the Arabian Sea and south to Natal, South Africa. Records of this species from the eastern Indian Ocean and the Western Central Pacific are probably misidentifications of Lutjanus malabaricus (Ref. 55). Has been misidentified as Lutjanus coccineus by recent authors.
Diagnosis : Dorsal spines (total): 10-10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-14; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 8-9. Dorsal profile of head angular, snout steeply sloped. Preorbital bone broad, with horizontal grooves behind and below the eye. Anterior and posterior nostrils widely spaced. Preopercular notch and knob poorly developed. Scale rows on back rising obliquely above lateral line. Juveniles with a broad brown bar from upper jaw to beginning of dorsal fin and a series of reddish horizontal lines on sides.
Biology : Inhabits coral and rocky reefs to depths of at least 100 m (Ref. 30573). Off South Africa it displays a preference for slightly silty, turbid regions in the vicinity of sometimes shallow, offshore banks. Captured mainly at night on coral banks off Mafia Island (Tanzania) in 9 to 12 m and off Zanzibar in about 75 m. Active at night when it feeds over sandy or rubble bottoms (Ref. 9710)
Threatened : Dangerous:  
Dangerous : harmless
Coordinator :
Main Ref : Allen, G.R.. 1985. (Ref. 55)

India country information
Common Names : Bloodred snapper, Soosta
Status : native
Salinity : marine
Uses : no uses