Paracaesio sordida

Osteichthyes Lutjanidae Genus Paracaesio Paracaesio sordida

Smallscale snapper

23.2 cm FL

Characteristic features:

Colour:

Overall dark purplish brown or greyish pink.

Size:

Up to 35 cm TL.

Distribution:

West Pacific in tropical waters.

Habitat:

Associated with rocky reefs, from 30 to 200 m depth.

Biology:

Feeds on planktonic organisms. Found in small schools. No information on age or length at maturity is available, however one Smallscale snapper caught off Papua New Guinea with a length of 23.0 cm SL and weight of 0.34 kg was estimated at 4 years old.¹ No information on spawning is available and estimated maximum age is unknown.

Indonesian fisheries:

Caught mainly with handlines.

Similar species:

Paracaesio brevidentata
Smallmouth snapper

Paracaesio brevidentata differ in having a scaly maxilla (vs. scaleless); a much smaller mouth with minute villiform teeth (vs. larger mouth with small teeth) and a smaller caudal fin (vs. larger).

to Paracaesio brevidentata

Caesionidae
Fusiliers

Paracaesio sordida are difficult to distinguish from Caesionidae.

External links:

FishBase
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM

References:

Fry G, Brewer D, Venables W. Vulnerability of deepwater demersal fishes to commercial fishing: evidence from a study around a tropical volcanic seamount in Papua New Guinea. Fisheries Research [Internet]. 2006;81(2–3):126–41. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2006.08.002