Midnight Snapper

Macolor macularis attains a maximum total length of 60 cm (24 in). The overall colour of adults is dark grey brown on the upper body shading to yellow on head and lower body. There are thin blue lines and small spots on the head. The scales on the body have blue lines or dashes. The juveniles have a piebald pattern of black and white including five white spots on the back. Subadult are similar to juveniles but with many more white spots on the back and small white spots in the other black areas. The smaller adults show traces of the juvenile patterning.

Macolor macularis has a wide Indo-West Pacific range which is not well known because of confusion with Macolor niger. It has been found in the Chagos Islands and the Maldives and southwestern India. In the Pacific it is found from the Andaman Sea and Sumatra east to Samoa and the Phoenix Islands, north to Taiwan and the Yaeyama Islands of southern Japan and south to Australia. In Australian waters this species is found from the offshore reefs in northern Western Australia, the Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea in the Northern Territory, and the Great Barrier Reef of Queensland. It also occurs around the reefs of the Coral Sea and at Christmas Island.

The adults occur over steep slopes of lagoon, channel, or seaward reefs, they are commonly found on deep reef slopes. Juveniles live solitarily on sheltered reef slopes with crinoids, in staghorn coral or large sponges.

Macolor macularis is often recorded in fish markets, largely as fresh fish. Fishers catch them using handlines, gill nets, traps and by spearfishing.