About Lutjanus russellii (Bleeker, 1849)
Lutjanus russellii has a body that ranges from moderately deep to slender, with its standard length measuring 2.6 to 2.8 times its body depth. Its forehead may be either steep or moderately sloped, and the knob and incision on the preopercle are poorly developed. Vomerine teeth are arranged in a triangular patch with a rearward extension, or sometimes in a rhombus shape; there is also a patch of tiny teeth on the tongue. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 14 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The rear margins of both the dorsal and anal fins are rounded, though the tip of the anal fin may be pointed. Pectoral fins hold 16 to 17 rays, and the caudal fin is either truncate or weakly emarginate. This species reaches a maximum total length of 50 cm (20 in), with 30 cm (12 in) being a more typical adult size. The overall body coloration is whitish to silvery greyish-pink, with a brownish tone on the back. An indistinct black spot, sometimes very faint, sits on the lateral line below the front section of the dorsal fin. The dorsal and caudal fins are reddish, and the other fins are yellow. Juveniles are white, with four brown to blackish longitudinal stripes along their flanks (these stripes may be interrupted), and a horizontally elongated black spot or ocellus on the lateral line. Lutjanus russellii occurs mainly in the western Pacific Ocean, ranging from the Gulf of Thailand and Sumatra east to Tonga, north to southern Japan, and south to Australia. In Australian waters, it is found from Shark Bay and offshore reefs of Western Australia, at Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, and along the northern and eastern coasts south as far as Wollongong, and possibly south to Jervis Bay in New South Wales. This species inhabits depths between 3 and 80 m (9.8 and 262.5 ft), and can be found on offshore coral reefs as well as inshore rocky and coral reefs. Juveniles live in mangrove-lined estuaries and the lower sections of freshwater streams.
