Spotted Rose Snapper

Sightings

2026 season, every one sourced

Photos

From California this season

No photos yet. If you photographed this animal in California this season, post it to the Coastal Bulletin.

Home Range

Where it normally lives

Mexico south to Peru.

Range source: FishBase

This snapper lives along the Pacific coast from Mexico to Peru. Adults stay over hard bottom on inshore reefs from about 33 to 200 feet deep.

Identification

The spotted rose snapper has pale crimson sides that often carry a silvery sheen from rows of small bluish spots, and a golden yellow belly. Its head is marked with bluish spots and broken lines, most heavily across the cheek. The surest mark is a large blackish blotch high on the back, below the rear of the spiny dorsal fin.

Natural History

Adults usually travel alone or in small groups, though they sometimes form large schools. Young fish grow up in estuaries and river mouths before moving out to the reef. The species eats invertebrates and other fish, and it is caught for food and sport throughout its range.

In California

Divers recorded the species in San Diego County on October 22, 2026, and on the Main Wall of the La Jolla Submarine Canyon on October 25. No earlier California record turned up in this research.

Taxonomy

Rarity

Rarity in the compendium is how often the animal has been reported on the California coast this season, not how rare it is where it normally lives. It moves as new sightings come in.