Yellowtail Snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus

Yellowtail Snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Ft. Launderdale, Florida, March 2023. Length: 13 cm (5.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Aidan Perkins, Long Island, New York.

Yellowtail Snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Caye Ambergris, Belize, June 2013. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).

Yellowtail Snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Deerfield Beach, Florida, December 2020. Length: 19 cm (7.6 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, San Diego, California.

Yellowtail Snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Broward County, Florida, August 2021. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Sebastian, Florida.

Yellowtail Snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Broward County, Florida, March 2023. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Faith Hubsch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Yellowtail Snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Belize, November 2020. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Josh Leisen (joshadventures.com), Gaylord, Michigan.

Yellowtail Snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Key West, Florida, August 2014. Length: 30 cm (12 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Dean Kimberly, Atlanta, Georgia.

The Yellowtail Snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus, is a member of the Snapper or Lutjanidae Family, and is known in Mexico as rubia. Globally, there is only one species in the genus Ocyurus, this species that is found in Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Yellowtail Snapper has an elongated slender body that are blue dorsally and transition to pink then to white ventrally. They have a prominent yellow mid-lateral stripe that begins on the snout, broadens as it passes along the body and continues into the tail. Above the stripe they have spots on a blue background; below the stripe they have narrow yellow stripes on a lighter background. Their fins vary in color from clear to deep yellow-brown.They have a pointed snout with a small oblique mouth and a projecting lower jaw; they lack the prominent canine teeth found in other snappers. Their anal fin has 3 spines, the third being longer than the second, and 8 or 9 rays; their caudal fin is long and deeply forked with the upper lobe being longer than the lower lobe; their dorsal fin is continuous with 10 strong spines, the fifth being the longest, and 12 to 14 rays; and, their pectoral fins are long and reach the anal fin origin.

The Yellowtail Snapper is found over deep water reefs at depths between 20 m (65 feet) and 70 m (230 feet) with a few fish known as “flags” found over reefs as deep as 180 m (600 feet). They reach a maximum of 85 cm (2 feet 10 inches) in length and 5.0 kg (11 lbs 0 oz) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record for length stood at 60 cm (2 feet 0 inches) with the fish caught from coastal waters off Key West, Florida in July 2016. The corresponding world record for weight stood atat 4.98 kg (11 lbs 0 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Bermuda in June 2004. They are more pelagic than other snappers and seldom seen in abundance. Females lay between 100,000 and 1,500,000 pelagic eggs annually which hatch within 20 hours. They have lifespans of up to 14 years. The Yellowtail 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 Yellowtail Snapper is are found in all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

The Yellowtail Snapper cannot be confused with any other species due to its unique coloration.

From a conservation perspective the Yellowtail Snapper is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are heavily pursued by artisanal, commercial and recreational anglers utilizing hook and line, nets, spears, and traps. The Yellowtail Snapper is considered an excellent food fish with a significant commercial fishery; for example in the State of Florida 2,000,000 lbs of this fish valued at 4,000,000 dollars are caught annually. From a recreational perspective they are viewed as one of the better opponents because they are wary biters.