Dog snapper

The dog snapper (Lutjanus jocu), also known as the dogtooth snapper, pargue or snuggletooth snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the Atlantic Ocean. It is a commercially important species, and is popular for display in public aquaria.

Distribution

Dog snapper is mainly found in the western Atlantic Ocean where there range extends from Massachusetts south to São Paulo in Brazil, including the Bermuda, the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico and from Saint Paul's Rocks south to Principe in the eastern Atlantic. A first single record was reported for the Mediterranean Sea in 2005 in Ligurian waters, Italy. Adults are generally found around rocky outcrops or coral reefs, while juveniles tend to remain primarily within estuaries and occasionally within rivers. Dog snappers are known to have occurred at depths in excess of 100 m (330 ft) in some areas but they are more frequent at depths of 5 to 30 m (16 to 98 ft).

Behaviour

Dog snappers are nocturnal predators prey nocturnally on smaller fish and benthic invertebrates, including crustaceans (including crabs and shrimps), gastropods, and cephalopods.