Although they have been found as far north as Massachusetts, their normal range is along Florida south to the West Indies and Brazil.

It is sought as a game fish by recreational anglers and is a popular species for display in public aquaria.

[2] In certain reefs, most notably in the Florida Keys, this beautifully colored fish is commonly spotted among divers and snorkelers.

The yellowtail snapper was first formally described in 1791 as Sparus chrysurus by the German physician and naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch with the type locality given as "Brazilian seas".

[5] A taxonomic study of snappers within the subfamily Lutjaninae in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean indicated that the at monotypic genera Ocyurus and Rhomboplites sit within the genus Lutjanus.

[6] Lutjanus ambiguus is considered by some authorities to most likely to be a hybrid between L. synagris and O. chrysurus, supporting the close relation between the two genera.

The rest of the fish is an olive to bluish black color with yellow spots above the lateral band.

Typically, the fish are relatively wary of higher-test or thicker line, and larger hooks.