Lutjanus biguttatus

Osteichthyes Lutjanidae Genus Lutjanus Lutjanus biguttatus
Twospot snapper
19.4 cm TL
Characteristic features:
Colour:

Body golden brown with broad pearly white stripe, 2 small white spots on back, sometimes indistinct.

Size:

Up to 20 cm TL.

Distribution:

West Central Pacific in tropical and subtropical waters.

Habitat:

Coral reefs and outer reef slopes, from 5 m to 30 m depth.

Biology:

Feeds primarily on small fishes and crustacean. Often occurs in large schools of up to 100 or more but is sometimes solitary. In Papua New Guinea, the length at which 50% of Twospot snapper reach maturity was estimated at 17 cm FL and 13 cm FL for females and males, respectively.1 Little else is know about this uncommon species.

Indonesian fisheries:

Caught mainly with handlines, traps, and gillnets.

Similar species:

Lutjanus lemniscatus
Darktail snapper

Lutjanus lemniscatus

Juvenile Lutjanus lemniscatus differ from juvenile Lutjanus biguttatus in having the vomerine tooth patch with medial extension (vs. without); narrow bodied (vs. deep bodied) and having a pair of faint whitish spots on back, sometimes indistinct (vs. no spots).

to Lutjanus lemniscatus
External links:
References:
  1. Longenecker, K, Langston, R, Bolick, H. Rapid reproductive analysis and length-dependent relationships of Lutjanus biguttatus (Perciformes: Lutjanidae) from Papua New Guinea. In: Pacific Science. 2013;67(2):295-301. https://doi.org/10.2984/67.2.11.