Hussar
Lutjanus adetii

Illustration: Bloom by Day
Rosy-pink with one golden stripe from the gill cover to the tail and a golden patch around the eye. They stack in hundreds over sand patches between bommies and part around a diver like water around a rock.
how to recognise it
- a dusky to golden stripe from the middle of the gill cover to the tail base
- a golden patch around the eye, running forward onto the snout
- a yellow blotch at the pectoral-fin base
- rosy-pink, silvery below, with a white margin on the dorsal and anal fins
don’t confuse with
- Stripey snapper — the stripey has EIGHT OR NINE golden stripes down the side, not one
- Crimson snapper — the crimson snapper is red all over with no side stripe and no golden eye patch
Field marks read from
Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-15. Our wording, their facts. Max size 50 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- reef
- size
- ~30 cm, to 50 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (50 cm TL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 2 at 1 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance.
Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
QLD — Min: 25cm · Limit: 10
no NSW rule listed — check before you dive
no closed season recorded for this species — that is not the same as open; check the official page
Rules checked 2026-10-13 against qld.gov.au
Rules change. Check before you dive.
See where it lives → bloombyday.com, the live map
Diving today? → bluebirdday.app, the swell, wind and viz forecast