A single specimen of Lutjanus xanthopinnis Iwatsuki, Tanaka et Allen, 2015 (78.9 mm standard length), was collected from Hahyo Port in Jeju-do Island, Korea. The specimen is characterized by X, 13 dorsal fin rays, III, 8 anal fin rays, 16 pectoral fin rays, 49 lateral line scales, 5 scale rows on cheek, scales on preopercular flange, posterior nostril shape oviform, predorsal scales reaching anteriorly approximately the midpoint of the interorbital area. A new Korean name, “No-rang-tung-dom” is proposed based on the presence of several thin yellow horizontal stripes below the lateral line on the body.

Korea, Lutjanus xanthopinnis, morphology, taxonomy

The family Lutjanidae comprises 17 genera with 110 species, among which the genus Lutjanus Bloch, 1790 includes approximately 70 species (Nelson et al. 2016). According to Iwatsuki et al. (2015), seven species within the genus Lutjanus are grouped into the yellow-lined snapper complex, characterized by yellow to brownish stripes on the sides of the body. These species include Lutjanus adetii (Castelnau, 1873), Lutjanus lutjanus Bloch, 1790, Lutjanus madras (Valenciennes, 1831), Lutjanus mizenkoi Allen et Talbot, 1985, Lutjanus ophuysenii (Bleeker, 1860), Lutjanus vitta (Quoy et Gaimard, 1824), and Lutjanus xanthopinnis Iwatsuki, Tanaka et Allen, 2015. To date, 10 species of the genus Lutjanus have been reported in Korea, including Lutjanus argentimaculatus (Forsskål, 1775), Lutjanus fulviflamma (Forsskål, 1775), Lutjanus malabaricus (Bloch et Schneider, 1801), Lutjanus monostigma (Cuvier, 1828), Lutjanus ophuysenii, Lutjanus quinquelineatus (Bloch, 1790), Lutjanus rivulatus (Cuvier, 1828), Lutjanus russellii (Bleeker, 1849), Lutjanus stellatus Akazaki, 1983, and Lutjanus vitta, of with the yellow-lined snapper complex is represented by L. ophuysenii and L. vitta (see Iwatsuki et al. 2015; NIBR 2023).

In this study, a single specimen of the genus Lutjanus was collected from Jeju-do Island and identified as Lutjanus xanthopinnis based on its morphological features (Iwatsuki et al. 2015). This study provides the first documented record of this species in Korea.

The collected single specimen (AREIS-0008) of the genus Lutjanus of 78.9 mm standard length (SL) was captured within Hahyo Port in Sinhyo-dong, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do, Korea (33°14′58.5′′N, 126°37′12.9′′E) using hook and rod, in October 2024. The fish was captured at high tide, when the water depth was approximately 4–6 m. The specimen was euthanized with MS-222, fixed in 10% formalin, and subsequently preserved in 70% ethanol. Methods of counting and measurements followed Hubbs et al. (2004) and Allen et al. (2013) and were expressed in percentages of standard length (SL). The specimen is deposited at the Ichthyology Laboratory at Kunsan National University, Korea, under voucher number AREIS-0008.

Family Lutjanidae

Genus Lutjanus Bloch, 1790

The presently reported and described specimen collected from Jeju-do Island, Korea, shows meristic and morphometric characters that closely match those of Lutjanus xanthopinnis, which was relatively recently distinguished from L. madras by Iwatsuki et al. (2015). Although the two species have long been confused as a single species due to their similarities, L. xanthopinnis can be differentiated by several key characteristics (Fig. 1B, 1C, 1D): III, 8 anal fin rays (vs. III, 9); 4–5 scale rows on the cheek (vs. 7–8); scales present on the preopercular flange (vs. absent); an oviform posterior nostril (vs. rounded); predorsal scales extending anteriorly to approximately the midpoint of the interorbital area (vs. extending only to the posterior edge of the orbit) and relatively uniform yellow stripes below the lateral line, with the midlateral stripe only slightly more prominent and a single scale row in width (vs. a more pronounced midlateral yellow stripe, ranging from 1.5 to 3 scale rows in width; however, this color pattern difference may not apply to juveniles) (Iwatsuki et al. 2015). These distinguishing characteristics of L. xanthopinnis also closely matched those observed in the specimen examined in this study (Table 1).

Figure 1. 

The specimen of Lutjanus xanthopinnis (AREIS-0008, 78.9 mm SL, Jeju-do Island, Korea). (A) Lateral view of the specimen. (B) Scales on preopercular flange (white arrows). (C) Posterior nostril (PN) shape. (D) Margin of anterior predorsal scales (yellow markings). Scale bar in (A): 1 cm.

The genus Lutjanus comprises approximately 70 species (Nelson et al. 2016). Among these, Iwatsuki et al. (2015) who described L. xanthopinnis as a new species, classified a total of seven species into the yellow-lined snapper complex. Currently, ten species of the genus Lutjanus have been reported in Korea, with L. ophuysenii and L. vitta included in the yellow-lined snapper complex (NIBR 2023). When compared to other species within the yellow-lined snapper complex, L. xanthopinnis displays distinct characteristics: 13 soft dorsal fin rays (vs. 14 in L. adetii; 12 in L. lutjanus); 5 scale rows on cheek (vs. 6 in L. mizenkoi); scales on preopercular flange (vs. no scales in L. ophuysenii); thin yellow stripes on body side, lacking any black stripe (vs. broad black stripe extends from the eye to the upper base of the caudal fin. in L. vitta) (Iwatsuki et al. 1993; Iwatsuki et al. 2015).

Consequently, this study reports the discovery of an additional species of the genus Lutjanus in Korea, bringing the total to 11 species, including three within the yellow-lined snapper complex. Based on the presence of several thin yellow horizontal stripes below the lateral line, a new Korean name, “No-rang-tung-dom,” is proposed for L. xanthopinnis.

The authors express their sincere appreciation to all researchers affiliated with the Alpha Ecology Institute for their cooperation in facilitating sample collection.