©Andy: An adult in shallow water
©NOAA
Colours
Distinguishing features
A medium to large reddish-silver fish with an orange eye. Juveniles are dark brown with a pale tail and a small silver dot at the base of the dorsal fin. ���They also have a large deep pit in front of the eyes. (Wikipedia)
Size
- Up to 90 cm (Standard length)
Depth range
- Depth range data is not yet available.
Synonyms
Similar taxa
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Animalia:
Mangrove Red Snapper (species: Lutjanus argentimaculatus)
They are, however, easily distinguishable by the large deep pit in front of the eyes of the red bass.
Interesting facts
- Aggressive Mimic: The Juvenile Red Bass looks like a Damselfish, a harmless planktivore that will drift up to smaller naïve fish and swallow them.
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Usually found singly around lagoonal patch reefs and back reef margins, and in schools along reef fronts and passes.
Can be found in most locations around the island.
Behaviour
This species is one of the largest Snappers, and feeds mainly on reef fishes although it will also take cephalopods and other invertebrates. They are one of the longest lived and slowest growing reef fishes, not becoming reproductively mature until 8-9 years old and reaching maximum size at about 15 years of age, with some specimens living until 55 years old. The small juveniles mimic damselfishes from the genus Chromis, in order to get close to potential prey.
Web resources
Danger
- unspecified - This species is known to have caused ciguatera poisoning and should not be eaten.
References
- Cribb, T.H., R.D. Adlard, R.A. Bray, P. Sasal and S.C. Cutmore (2014). Biogeography of tropical Indo-West Pacific parasites: A cryptic species of Transversotrema and evidence for rarity of Transversotrematidae (Trematoda) in French Polynesia, Parasitology International, 63: 285-294. LIRS catalog number 1709.
- Grutter, A.S. (1997). Effect of the removal of cleaner fish on the abundance and species composition of reef fish, Oecologia, 111: 137-143. LIRS catalog number 504.
- Hilomen, V.V. (1997). Inter- and intra-habitat movement patterns and population dynamics of small reef fishes of commercial and recreational significance, Ph.D. thesis, James Cook University, Townsville. LIRS catalog number 535.
- View all references