Bengal Snapper Spotted at Ribbon Reef #3: A New Record for Australia!

On June 16, 2010, while diving at Ribbon Reef #3 near Port Douglas, northern Queensland, Dr Malcolm Francis, @malcolm_francis, made what initially seemed like a routine observation. He photographed what he believed to be a school of common Bluestriped Snapper, Lutjanus kasmira, a species familiar to divers across Australia. When he uploaded the observation to iNaturalist as L. kasmira, everyone assumed it was just that—another L. kasmira observation.

However, as Malcolm explained "The story took an unexpected turn when I uploaded some Lutjanus photos from a trip to the Seychelles. Not being familiar with the local species there, I was careful when identifying the fish, and in doing so, I realised that the fish I photographed in the Seychelles were actually Lutjanus bengalensis not L. kasmira. Curious, I went back to compare those Seychelles photos with my previous Australian L. kasmira observation—and to my surprise, there were no differences. They were the same species!"

He quickly corrected the observation on iNaturalist, updating it to Lutjanus bengalensis. The ID was confirmed by several people, including iNaturalist curator Mark Rosenstein, @maractwin, who commented, “L. bengalensis is often overlooked because of its similarity to the more common L. kasmira. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s there but seldom noticed.”

This discovery highlights how easily these two species can be confused, especially given their subtle differences. For example, L. bengalensis can be distinguished from L. kasmira by the absence of a fifth line under the eye and no thin yellow stripes on the belly. Check out this comparison guide.

This observation serves as a reminder to always take a second look—what may seem ordinary at first could turn out to be something entirely different. In this case it's a new record for Australia! Well done Malcolm!

Posted on September 19, 2024 01:26 AM by

markmcg

Comments

Having had an obs of L. kasmira in the Marquesas recently corrected to include Mulloidichthys mimicus, this prompted me to review my obs of L. kasmira to find another in the Marquesas which is definitely M. mimicus, and to realise some others don't show enough detail to positively confirm the ID versus these other possibilities, except for the location.
Yes, need to take that second look.l

Posted by quokka2 about 15 hours ago