Lutjanidae, or snappers are a family of perciform fish, mainly marine, but with some members inhabiting estuaries, feeding in fresh water. The family includes about 113 species. Some are important food fish. One of the best known is the red snapper.
Snappers inhabit tropical and subtropical regions of all oceans. Some snappers grow up to about in length, and one specific snapper, the cubera snapper, grows up to in length. Most are active carnivores, feeding on crustaceans or other fish, though a few are plankton-feeders. They can be kept in aquaria, but mostly grow too fast to be popular aquarium fish. Most species live at depths reaching near coral reefs, but some species are found up to deep.
As with other fish, snappers harbour parasites. A detailed study conducted in New Caledonia has shown that coral reef-associated snappers harbour about 9 species of parasites per fish species.
Timeline
Gibola
Systematics
Lutjanidae is subdivided into four subfamilies and 17 genera with around 110 species, as follows:
subfamily Apsilinae Johnson, 1980
genus Apsilus Valenciennes, 1830
genus Lipocheilus Anderson, Talwar & Johnson, 1977
genus Paracaesio Bleeker, 1875
genus Parapristipomoides Kami, 1963
subfamily Etelinae Gill, 1893
genus Aphareus Cuvier, 1870
genus Aprion Valenciennes, 1830
genus Etelis Cuvier, 1828
genus Pristipomoides Bleeker, 2020
genus Randallichthys Anderson, Kami & Johnson, 1977
subfamily Lutjaninae Gill, 1861
genus Hoplopagrus Gill, 1861
genus Lutjanus Bloch, 1790
genus Macolor Bleeker, 1860
genus Ocyurus Gill, 1862
genus Pinjalo Bleeker, 1873
genus Rhomboplites Gill, 1862
subfamily Paradicichthyinae Whitley, 1930
genus Symphorichthys Munro, 1967
genus Symphorus Günther, 1872
Some authorities classify the Caesionidae, the fusiliers, within the Lutjanidae as a fifth subfamily but the 5th Edition of Fishes of the World retains this grouping as a distinct family pending more work being conducted on its relationships.