Macolor niger, (Forsskål, 1775)
The black and white snapper (Macolor niger), the black and white seaperch or black snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.
The black and white snapper can reach a maximum total length of 75 cm (30 in), though most do not exceed 35 cm (14 in). Its fins and eyes are black and its body varies in color from light grey to black depending on age. Juveniles are typically striped, changing in complete black when adult.
The black and white snapper has a wide Indo-Pacific range. It occurs along the eastern coastline of Africa from the Red Sea south as far as South Africa, the Seychelles, islands in the Mozambique Channel, Madagascar and western Mascarenes, east to the Maldives, Laccadives, the Chagos Islands, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island and Sri Lanka. In the Pacific it occurs from western Malaysia, western Indonesia and the Andaman Sea east to the Marshall Islands, Samoa and Tonga south to Australia north to central Japan. It has also recorded from Niue and the Cook Islands. It is found at depths between 2 and 90 m (6 ft 7 in and 295 ft 3 in) around the steep outer slopes of lagoon reefs, channels and on the seaward slopes.
Black and white snapper are prized as food fish and are caught commercially, as well as recreationally. This species can also be found in the aquarium trade.
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