Australasian snapper
| Australasian snapper | |
|---|---|
| Australasian snapper, Chrysophrys auratus, at Melbourne Aquarium. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acanthuriformes |
| Family: | Sparidae |
| Genus: | Chrysophrys Quoy & Gaimard, 1824 |
| Species: | C. auratus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Chrysophrys auratus (Forster, 1801)
| |
| Distribution of Australasian snapper | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Pagrus auratus (Forster, 1801) | |
The Australasian snapper (Chrysophrys auratus) or silver seabream is a species of porgie found in coastal waters of Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, mainland China, Taiwan, Japan and New Zealand. Its distribution areas in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are disjunct. Although it is almost universally known in Australia and New Zealand as snapper, it does not belong to the Lutjanidae snapper family. It is highly prized as an edible fish, with a sweet sea taste and a firm texture.
It is the only species in the genus Chrysophrys, but was previously placed in the genus Pagrus as Pagrus auratus.