Sailfin Snapper (Symphorichthys spilurus)

This fish is found over sandy bottoms near coral reefs of the Western Pacific near New Caledonia, the Great Barrier Reef and the Philippines. It is ususally a solitary fish who likes to feed on small fish, bottom dwelling crustaceans and mollusks.

While juvenile colouration (left) is often quite different to adult's (right), most members of the snapper family are easy to identify by their adult colouration. Most have stong spinous dorsal fins and a continuous dorsal fin which may be slightly notched between the spinous and soft parts. They are carnivores and typically feed at night.

We currently have two of these in our collection who still have their striking juvenile colors.