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AC and ACK -
A Common Misidentity

Author: Peace


Very often do I hear anglers using these terms interchangeably or mistaken one for the other. Many are mis-informed of its name and its identification and have difficulty telling them apart. This article aims to clear these doubts once and for all.

First of all, they should be correctly pronounced as Ang Zho(AZ, not AC) and Ang Zho Kee(AZK, not ACK). The fish on the left below is the Ang Zho, that is, John's Snapper(Lutjanus johnii) and the one on the right is Ang Zho Kee, that is, Russell's Snapper(Lutjanus russellii). They're both from the Snapper family but are not the same species of fish.


What's the difference?

For a start, AZ's head is more steeply sloped than an AZK. AZ is generally heavier than AZK given both at the same length. Faint vertical bands and rows of little spots can be found on the body of AZ while AZK have horizontal yellow stripes across its body. These pattern can fade away when the fish grows larger. Both fishes have a thumbprint-like spot on each side of their body.

However, the spot on AZK are usually bigger and more distinct than AZ's. The spot on AZ may fade away(or disappear) but not for AZK. The colours of both fishes are also different: AZ body is usually golden in colour and the dorsal fin and tail can be yellow to red in colour while AZK tend to have a pale gold to pinkish body colour. Its fins and tail are purple with bright yellow pectoria, pelvic and anal fin.


Within its own species

There maybe phyiscal difference among them but they're still the same species of fish. For example, the AZ on the left below has a much whiter body and reddish tail compared to the AZ from the top. The one on the right has its spot totally faded off. These differences could possibly be attributed by the habitat it lives in.

The two fish below are AZK. The one on the left is rosy and darker than a typical AZK. Again these maybe due to the habitat they live in, such as hiding in dark places like under jetties or wrecks. The one on the right is a juvenile AZK, it has very distinct horizontal stripes across its body but will eventually fade off when it reaches adulthood.


More about AZ and AZK

Although both AZ and AZK are different species of fishes, they share much common behaviours and habitats. They both can be found in schools (usually the smaller ones) and are very aggressive fishes. They like to dwell near rocks, structures and trenches and are adapted to brackish water and mangrove habitat.

AZ can grow alot more bigger than AZK. AZ can easily grow above 3kg while AZK above 1kg is very uncommon (at least in Singapore). Large AZ will usually move into deeper waters hiding in structures and covers. They are more likely to feed in the night and fresh/live squids are best baits to catch them. Both fishes will also take prawns, baitfishes and worms too.


"I'm telling you John's Snapper is Ang Zho Kee!"

No it's not, Russell's Snapper has been called Ang Zho Kee since the old days. But think of it this way: the 'Kee' in Ang Zho Kee means 'spot' or 'mark' and Russell's Snapper's spot does not fade unlike John's Snapper, therefore Russell's Snapper should be more appropriately called Ang Zho Kee.


Visual example

Finally, a short animation to show the physical difference between an AZ and AZK. [2.33MiB; may take a while to load]


In Conclusion

Ang Zho Kee = Russell's Snapper = Ikan Tanda = Lutjanus russellii(scientific name)
Ang Zho = John's Snapper/Fingermark Snapper/Golden Snapper = Ikan Merah(?) = Lutjanus johnii(scientific name)

Scientific name is the most accurate way of addressing a fish because each can have many common names but only one scientific name. Common names (non-scientific) are de facto names and may be used to address more than one species of fish, thus causing confusion among anglers.