Mahogany snapper

Lutjanus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, snappers belonging to the family Lutjanidae. They are found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. They are predatory fish usually found in tropical and subtropical reefs, and mangrove forests. This genus also includes two species that only occur in fresh and brackish waters.

Distribution

Lutjanus snappers have a circumtropical and subtropical distribution and are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. The mangrove red snapper (Lutjanus argentimaculatus), and the dory snapper (Lutjanus fulviflamma) have been recorded in the Mediterranean as possible Lessepsian migrants having entered that sea through the Suez Canal from the Red Sea while the dog snapper (Lutjanus jocu), a western Atlantic species, has been recorded in the Ligurian Sea. Many species are associated with coral reefs where they are conspicuous members of the fish fauna, while some of the larger red snapper species descend into deeper waters, at least to 200 m (660 ft) in depth. 2 species, L. fuscescens and L. maxweberi, only occur in fresh and brackish waters.