Fish profile · Lutjanidae
Mangrove jack
Lutjanus argentimaculatus
Also called Mangrove red snapper
A predatory snapper that uses mangrove estuaries while young and moves to reefs as it grows.
Last reviewed 26 October 2026 · 7 sources
- Max length
- 150 cm
- IUCN
- LC
- Least Concern
- In Malaysia
- Native
- Family
- Lutjanidae
- order Perciformes
Category from the IUCN Red List, via GBIF (CC BY 4.0); it may lag the latest Red List assessment.
How big?
Linear scale · person 170 cm
Up to 150 cm.
Where in Malaysia
10 open-licence records · GBIF
- Recorded (open records)
Recorded in Sabah, Terengganu, and Kedah. Based on 10 open-licence records on GBIF. Few records can mean few surveys, not few fish.
How to identify
- Greenish-brown to reddish body with a pale belly
- Strong canine teeth in the jaws
- Tail nearly square or shallowly notched
- Juveniles show pale vertical bars and blue cheek lines
Habitat
Eating
A commercially important food snapper, commonly consumed in Malaysia. Snappers have been linked to ciguatera. Ciguatera is a natural poison that builds up in reef fish, and cooking and freezing don't destroy it.
More photos
Sources
Last reviewed 26 October 2026