Etelis carbunculus

Osteichthyes Lutjanidae Genus Etelis Etelis carbunculus
Pacific ruby snapper ETA
15.5 cm TL
Characteristic features:
Colour:

Pinkish to reddish.

Size:

Up to 47 cm TL.

Distribution:

Indo-West Pacific in tropical waters.

Habitat:

Rocky bottoms, from 200 to 400 m depth.

Biology:

Feeds primarily on fishes, larger invertebrates such as squids, shrimps and crabs, also feeds on planktonic organisms. A demersal species occurring in aggregations. Length at first maturity was estimated at 35 cm off Hawaii.1

Indonesian fisheries:

Caught mainly with bottom longlines and deep handlines. Commonly caught in conjunction with Etelis bownei.

Similar species:

Etelis coruscans
Flame snapper

Etelis coruscans

Etelis coruscans differs in having an outer margin of operculum rounded (vs. pointed); a caudal fin deeply forked (vs. shallowly forked) and 23–28 gill rakers on first gill arch (vs. 10–13).

to Etelis coruscans

Etelis radiosus
Pale Snapper

Etelis radiosus

Etelis radiosus differs in having a caudal fin lunate with notch in the center of trailing edge (vs. shallowly forked with no notch present); maxilla extending to posterior eye margin (vs. level with middle of eye) and 32–36 gill rakers on first gill arch (vs. 10–13).

to Etelis radiosus

Pristipomoides spp.

Pristipomoides argyrogrammicus
Pristipomoides argyrogrammicus

Pristipomoides species differ in having junction between spinous and soft portion of dorsal fin indistinct (vs. junction deeply incised); dorsal fin with 10 spines and 10 soft rays (vs. 10 spines and 11, very infrequently 10, soft rays) and maxilla without scales (vs. with).

to Pristipomoides spp.

Etelis boweni
Bowen’s red snapper, Giant ruby snapper

Etelis boweni

Etelis boweni differs in having a greater maximum size exceeding 150 cm TL (vs. a smaller maximum size of 47 cm TL); opercular spine indistinct, rounded and usually fully covered by skin (vs. distinct and pointed); black tip on upper caudal-fin lobe (vs. a black tip absent) and a head robust and tall with steep dorsal profile (vs. slender with a low dorsal profile).

to Etelis boweni
External links:

FishBase
The IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM

References:
  1. DeMartini EE. Body size at sexual maturity in the eteline snappers Etelis carbunculus and Pristipomoides sieboldii: subregional comparisons between the main and north-western Hawaiian Islands. Marine and Freshwater Research [Internet]. 2017;68(6):1178–86. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1071/MF16174