Spotted Rose Snapper, Lutjanus guttatus
Spotted Rose Snapper, Lutjanus guttatus, Juveniles. Underwater photographs taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, February 2020 and January 2023. Photographs courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.
Spotted Rose Snapper, Lutjanus guttatus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off the Puerto Los Cabos breakwater, Baja California Sur, December 2007. Length: 12 cm (4.7 inches).
Spotted Rose Snapper, Lutjanus guttatus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puertecitos, Baja California, April 2024. Length: 16 cm (6.3 inches). Catch, photographs and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.
Spotted Rose Snapper, Lutjanus guttatus, Sub-adult. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, March 2016. Length: 18 cm (7.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).
Spotted Rose Snapper, Lutjanus guttatus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, October 2021. Length: 27 cm (11 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Bart, The Netherlands (worldangler.eu).
Spotted Rose Snapper, Lutjanus guttatus. Fish caught from coastal waters of Conception Bay, Baja California Sur, February 2008. Length: 28 cm (11 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Barry Mastro, Escondido, California.
Spotted Rose Snapper, Lutjanus guttatus. Fish caught from coastal waters off the Fortune Bank, Baja California Sur, September 2024. Length: 38 m (15 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chip Shapley, Los Barriles, Baja California Sur.
Spotted Rose Snapper, Lutjanus guttatus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, November 2003. Length: 40 cm (16 inches).
Spotted Rose Snapper, Lutjanus guttatus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Agua Verde, Baja California Sur, April 2018. Length: 42 cm (17 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Barry Mastro, Escondido, California.
Spotted Rose Snapper, Lutjanus guttatus. Fish caught in coastal waters adjacent to Roca Consag, San Felipe, Baja California, May 2015. Length: 49 cm (19.3 inches). Weight: 1.5 kg (3 lbs 1 oz). This fish has been submitted to IFGA as a potential new world record eclipsing the old record of 2 lbs 14 oz. Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.
The Spotted Rose Snapper, Lutjanus guttatus, is a member of the Snapper or Lutjanidae Family, that is known in Mexico as pargo flamenco and luneta. Globally, there are sixty-seven species in the genus Lutjanus, of which nineteen are found in Mexican waters, ten in the Atlantic and nine in the Pacific Ocean.
The Spotted Rose Snapper has a moderately deep oval body with a pale crimson or pinkish coloration and a silvery sheen. Their body has golden-green to brownish narrow oblique broken stripes and a distinctive spot below the middle of their dorsal fin. Their fins are reddish-pink. Juveniles have yellow stripes ventrally and yellow anal and pelvic fins. The distinctive spot is more prominent in juveniles than in adults. Their mouth and eyes are modest-sized. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 8 rays and is pointed; their caudal fin has a concave edge; their dorsal fin has 10 spines and 12 or 13 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 17 rays. They have 14 gill rakers on the lower arch. Their body is covered with large scales with the rows on their upper back running obliquely to the lateral line.
The Spotted Rose Snapper is found over sandy bottoms adjacent to rocky reefs at depths up to 120 m (400 feet). Juveniles are known to enter bays and estuaries. They reach a maximum of 80 cm (2 feet 8 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 3.01 kg (6 lbs 10 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Panama in April 2019. They feed on crabs, mollusks, octopus, shrimp, and small fish. They are normally found in fairly large schools. The Spotted Rose Snapper is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Spotted Rose Snapper is a resident of the Mexican waters of the Pacific but has a limited distribution being found from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, southward along the southwest coast of Baja, throughout the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of the mainland south to Guatemala. There are unconfirmed reports of their presence along the northwest coast of Baja.
The Spotted Rose Snapper can be confused with the Colorado Snapper, Lutjanus colorado, the Pacific Red Snapper, Lutjanus peru, and the Whipper Snapper, Lutjanus jordani, however, all three lack the distinctive black spot below the middle portion of the dorsal fin.
From a conservation perspective the Spotted Rose Snapper is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are more common in Central America and are targeted by commercial fishermen where they are caught primarily with nets. They are a quality food fish and sold on a limited basis by the major markets in the greater Los Cabos area.