Author: (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
FBname: Malabar blood snapper
Comments: Adults inhabit both coastal and offshore reefs.  They tend to be associated with sponge and gorgonian-dominated habitats on the North West Shelf (Ref. 28006), and hard mud areas of the Arafura Sea.  In Australia, they frequently form mixed shoals with <i>L. erythropterus</i>.  Juveniles tend to inhabit shallow inshore waters and larger fish live in deeper waters (Ref. 27260, 27264).  Juveniles also occur in mangrove areas and seagrass beds (Ref. 128523).  Feed mainly on fishes, with small amounts of benthic crustaceans, cephalopods and other benthic invertebrates (Ref. 6390).  They forage mostly at night (Ref. 6390). Caught mainly with handlines, bottom longlines, and bottom trawls (Ref. 9821). Marketed fresh, dried-salted (Ref. 55) and frozen (Ref. 9987).