How do gray snappers reproduce?

Answer 1

Spawning occurs from April to November with a peak during the summer months, and is influenced by the lunar cycle. Individual snappers may spawn multiple times during the course of the reproductive season. Gray snapper spawn in aggregations during the times surrounding the full moon. The species is a broadcast spawner of demersal eggs from which hatch sparsely pigmented larvae approximately 20 hours post-fertilization. The yolk sac is absorbed within the first 45 hours, after which the larvae must actively feed amongst the plankton. Although little is known about larval snappers in general, most appear to be planktonic at lengths less than 10mm. The post-larval gray snapper typically settle into suitable estuarine habitats such as seagrass beds and mangroves, although they are known from a variety of habitats. Estuarine nursery areas offer rich sources of food as well as protection from predators. The pre-juvenile and juvenile snapper feed by day until they achieve a size of approximately 80mm around which time they move into shallow rocky areas and the coastal reefs where they are commonly found as adults.