Golden Snapper

Lutjanus johnii has a moderately deep body in which its standard length is 2,4 to 2.9 its depth at the deepest point. It has a steeply sloped forehead and the incision and know on the preoperculum are weakly developed The vomerine teeth are arranged in a crescent shaped patch with no rearwards extension although there is a patch of granular teeth on the tongue. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 13-14 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The soft part of the dorsal fin and the anal fin have a rounded shape. The pectoral fins have 16 or 17 rays and the caudal fin is truncate or weakly emarginate. This fish attains a maximum total length of 97 cm (38 in), although 50 cm (20 in) is more typical, and the maximum published weight is 10.5 kg (23 lb). The overall colour is yellow, with a sheen of bronze or silvery, becoming silvery-white on the abdomen. There is a rusty spot at the centre of each scale creating the appearance of horizontal lines along the flanks. There is a sizeable black blotch below the front of the soft rayed part of the dorsal fin which is mostly above the lateral line, although this may be absent in adults.

Lutjanus johnii has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution. It occurs from the eastern African coast where it ranges from the southern Red Sea to South Africa, across the Indian Ocean into the Pacific as far as Fiji. It is found as far north as the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan and south to northern Australia. It has a depth range of 0.1 to 80 m (3.9 in to 262 ft 5.6 in). The adult fish are thought to be inhabitants of coral reefs while the juveniles use the shelter of mangroves.