- Classification
- ACTINOPTERYGII
- PERCIFORMES
- LUTJANIDAE
- Lutjanus
- decussatus
Checkered Snapper, Lutjanus decussatus (Cuvier 1828)

A Checkered Snapper, Lutjanus decussatus, at Komodo, Indonesia, August 2015. Source: Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Checkered Snapper, Lutjanus decussatus (Cuvier 1828)
More Info
Distribution |
Dampier Archipelago and offshore reefs of north Western Australia, Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, and the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. The species occurs elsewhere in the tropical, Indo-west Pacific: Indo-West Pacific: India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka east to Papua New Guinea, western Australia, north to Ryukyu Islands (southern Japan). Inhabits coastal reefs, lagoons and outer reef slopes in depths of 5-35 m, |
Features |
Dorsal fin X, 13-14; Anal fin III, 8-9; Gill rakers (first arch) 6 + 8-10 = 14-16. This species is distinguished by the following characters: bBody moderately deep, depth 2.6-3.1 in SL; preopercular notch and knob poorly developed; vomerine tooth patch crescentic, without a medial posterior extension; tongue with a patch of granular teeth. |
Feeding |
Feeds on smaller fishes and crustaceans. |
Fisheries |
Of minor commercial importance in some parts of its range, and also collected in small numbers for the aquarium trade. |
Etymology |
The specific name is from the Latin decussatus (= to divide crosswise, arrange crosswise, mark with a cross) in reference to the checkerboard pattern on the upper sides. |
Species Citation |
Mesoprion decussatus Cuvier, 1828, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 2: 487. Type locality: Java. |
Author |
Bray, D.J. 2020 |
Resources |
Checkered Snapper, Lutjanus decussatus (Cuvier 1828)
References
Allen, G.R. 1985. FAO Species Catalogue. Snappers of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lutjanid species known to date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125, Vol. 6. Rome : FAO 208 pp.
Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012.Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.
Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.
Allen, G.R. & Talbot, F.H. 1985. Review of the snappers of the genus Lutjanus (Pisces: Lutjanidae) from the Indo-Pacific, with the description of a new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes 11: 1-87.
Anderson, W.D. & Allen, G.R. 2001. Lutjanidae. pp. 2840-2918 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 5 2791-3379 pp.
Curtis-Quick, J. 2010. Lutjanus decussatus (errata version published in 2017). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T155089A115270971. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T155089A4698115.en. Downloaded on 15 November 2019.
Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Biodiversity of shallow reef fish assemblages in Western Australia using a rapid censusing technique. Records of the Western Australian Museum 20: 247-270
Kuiter, R.H. 1992. Tropical Reef-Fishes of the Western Pacific, Indonesia and Adjacent Waters. Jakarta : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama 314 pp. pls.
Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs.
Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.