The mutton snapper was first formally described in 1828 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier with the type locality given as Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

[4] The mutton snapper has a moderately deep, almond shaped body, with a nearly lunate caudal fin.

[2] The mutton snapper is native to the western Atlantic Ocean where it occurs from Massachusetts in the north to Brazil in the south.

[6] The larger adults live in and around offshore reefs and in area of rock rubble, and the juveniles stay in inshore waters where they can be abundant in habitats such as tidal mangrove creeks, canals and shallow protected bays.

As they grow they begin to feed on crustaceans, gastropods and smaller fishes, like grunts and mullets.

Spawning takes place in February in the Caribbean while in other parts of its range it occurs in the summer.

[6] The mutton snapper is an important target species for recreational, commercial and artisanal fisheries.

This species is caught using hook and line, seines, gill nets, bottom longlines and traps, it is also taken by spearfishing.

From the information available it is estimated that the biomass of the stock has declined by at least 20% over a period of 30 to 60 years and so it is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

The IUCN has recommended the implementation of precautionary management measures, such as the collection of appropriate fisheries data to gain a clearer understanding of the population structures, as well as the protecting important spawning aggregations.