Lane snapper

{{Short description|Species of fish}} {{Speciesbox | image = Lutjanus synagris.jpg | status = NT | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 20 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Lindeman, K. |author2=Anderson, W. |author3=Carpenter, K.E. |author4=Claro, R. |author5=Cowan, J. |author6=Padovani-Ferreira, B. |author7=Rocha, L.A. |author8=Sedberry, G. |author9=Zapp-Sluis, M. |date=2016 |title=''Lutjanus synagris'' |volume=2016 |article-number=e.T194344A2317059 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T194344A2317059.en |access-date=20 November 2021}}</ref> | taxon = Lutjanus synagris | authority = (Linnaeus, 1758) | range_map=Lutjanus synagris range.png | synonyms = * ''Sparus synagris'' Linnaeus, 1758 * ''Sparus vermicularis'' Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801 * ''Lutjanus aubrietii'' Desmarest, 1823 * ''Mesoprion uninotatus'' G. Cuvier, 1828 * ''Lutjanus brachypterus'' Cope, 1871 * ''Neomaenis megalophthalmus'' Evermann & M. C. Marsh, 1900 * ''Prionodes sanctiandrewsi'' Fowler, 1944 | synonyms_ref = <ref name = FishBase>{{FishBase|Lutjanus|synagris|month=February|year=2021}}</ref> }}

The '''lane snapper''' ('''''Lutjanus synagris'''''), the '''Mexican snapper''', '''redtail snapper''' or '''spot snapper''', is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the western Atlantic Ocean.

==Taxonomy== The lane snapper was first formally described in 1758 as ''Sparus synagris'' by Carolus Linnaeus in the 10th edition of the ''Systema Naturae'' with the type locality given as ''America septentrionali,'' i.e. the Bahamas.<ref name = CofF>{{Cof genus | genus = Lutjanus | access-date = 23 June 2021}}</ref> The specific name ''synagris'' is an Ancient Greek name for the common dentex (''Dentex dentex'') which the lane snapper was thought to be similar to.<ref name = ETYFish>{{cite web | url = https://etyfish.org/lutjaniformes/ | title = Order LUTJANIFORMES: Families HAEMULIDAE and LUTJANIDAE | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | editor1 = Christopher Scharpf | editor2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | name-list-style = and | date = 5 January 2021 | access-date = 22 June 2021 | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara | archive-date = 12 April 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210412135037/https://etyfish.org/lutjaniformes/ }}</ref>

==Description== The lane snapper has an oblong, compressed body.<ref name = STRI>{{cite web | url = https://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/3692 | title = Species: Lutjanus synagris, Lane snapper | access-date = 23 June 2021| work = Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information | publisher = Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute}}</ref> It has a sharply pointed snout,<ref name = FAO>{{cite book | author = Gerald R. Allen | year = 1985 | title = FAO species catalogue Vol.6. Snappers of the world An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lutjanid species known to date | pages = 119–120 | publisher = FAO Rome | isbn = 92-5-102321-2 | url = http://www.fao.org/3/ac481e/ac481e32.pdf}}</ref> With a pair of front and a pair of rear nostrils which are simple holes, it has a relatively large mouth with a moderately protrusible upper jaw which has most of its length below the cheek bone when the mouth is shut., Each jaw has one or more rows of sharp, conical teeth with a few of these being enlarged to form canines. The vomerine teeth are arranged in an anchor shaped patch of teeth with a short rearwards extension along the middle of the palate and there is a pair of tooth patches ar either side of the palate. The preopercle is serrated,<ref name = STRI/> and has a weakly developed incision and knob.<ref name = FAO/> It has a continuous dorsal fin<ref name = STRI/> which has 10 spines and 12-13 soft rays,<ref name = FishBase/> with a slight incision sometimes visible between the spines and soft rays,<ref name = STRI/> the anal fin has 3 spines and 8-9 soft rays.<ref name = FishBase/> It has relatively short pectoral fins which do not extend as far as the anus and contain 15-16 fin rays. The caudal fin is emarginate.<ref name = FAO/> This fish attains a maximum total length of {{cvt|60|cm}}, although {{cvt|25|cm}} is more typical, and the maximum published weight is {{cvt|3.5|kg}}.<ref name = FishBase/> This species has two colour phases, a deep-water phase which is darker and more distinctive than the colour of the shallow-water resting phase. In both phases the upper flanks and the back are pink to red with a green tint on the back. The lower flanks and abdomen are silver with a yellow hue. There are 3-4 yellow stripes on the head which extend from the snout to the eye, The flanks are marked with 8-10 yellow to pink longitudinal stripes, with a further 3-4 underneath the front dorsal fin ray. They have an indistinct black spot underneath the soft rayed part of the dorsal fin. The fins are may be yellow to red.<ref name = DF>{{cite web | url = https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/lutjanus-synagris/ | title = Lutjanus synagris | access-date = 23 June 2021 | work = Discover Fishes | publisher = Florida Museum}}</ref>

== Distribution and habitat == The lane snapper is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean where it occurs as far north as North Carolina and Bermuda south through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, along the coast of South America as far south as Santa Catarina, Brazil.<ref name="iucn status 20 November 2021" /> It occurs over reefs and sandy bottoms with algae or sea grass at depths between {{cvt|30|and|122|m}}.<ref name = MF>{{cite web | url = https://mexican-fish.com/lane-snapper/ | title = Lane Snapper | access-date = 23 June 2021 | publisher = Mexican Fish}}</ref> The juveniles live in sheltered inshore waters.<ref name = DF/>

==Biology== Lane snapper are sedentary, staying in a home range, after they have become adult except when spawning.

===Feeding=== Lane snappers are opportunistic, nocturnal predators feeding on a diverse range of animals. Known prey includes smaller fishes, cephalopods, gastropods, and crustaceans such as shrimps and crabs.<ref name = DF/>

===Reproduction=== Lane snapper form spawning aggregations, off Cuba these aggregations are found from March until September, peaking in activity in July and August. Off Puerto Rico spawning reaches its zenith in May. They are broadcast spawners, the fertilised eggs drift on the currents and hatch after 23 hours. The larvae are little known but settle at a length of about {{cvt|1|cm}}.<ref name = DF/>

===Predators=== The lane snapper is preyed upon by larger fishes and sharks.<ref name = MF/>

==Fisheries and conservation== The white meat of the lane snapper is sold in supermarkets throughout Mexico. Lane snapper are more typically caught in shallower waters than many other snappers, most commonly yellowtail snapper and gray snapper. Larger specimens can be found in somewhat deeper waters, but are typically less plentiful.<ref name = MF/> The consumption of its flesh has been known to result in cases of ciguatera poisoning.<ref name = DF/>

Lane snapper are caught with beach seines, boat seines, traps, handlines, and bottom trawls. Shrimp fisheries take for a large portion of the total catch of this snapper, due to the juveniles preference for soft bottom s with high populations of shrimps.<ref name = DF/>

The lane snapper stocks have shown steep declines as a result of overfishing in much of its range. For this reason the IUCN have assessed this species as Near Threatened.<ref name="iucn status 20 November 2021" />

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Commons category-inline|Lutjanus synagris}} * {{SealifePhotos|159800}}

lane snapper Category:Fish of the Caribbean lane snapper Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus