Common Name: Red Bass

Distribution: Uncommon in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region: East Africa to the Marquesas and Line Islands, north to Ryukyu Islands and south to around Sydney on the east coast of Australia. In Australia recorded from around Exmouth in Western Australia, the offshore reefs in northern Western Australia, the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, south to around Sydney in New South Wales, and including Lord Howe Island.

Ecological Notes: Frequents areas of coral reef and sheltered lagoons, more common around oceanic islands than continental areas. Depth range to 70 m usually, but have been recorded as deep as 180 m.

Additional Notes: Juveniles are more common in the Solitary Islands Marine Park, found in inshore and offshore areas and are recognised by the dull reddish-grey colour with two silver white spots on posterior dorsal sides. Adults uniformly red grey with dark fins and have a deep pit running from the nostrils to the corner of the eye. Feeds mainly on fishes but also takes crustaceans, and gastropods. Have been implicated in cases of ciguatera poisoning and eating is best avoided. Grows to 90 cm. 

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.149.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=Lutjanus+bohar. Accessed 04/06/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/Lutjanus-bohar.html. Accessed 04/06/18.