Horse-eye jack

Taxobox
name = Horse-eye jack


image_width = 240px
status = LR/lc
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Perciformes
familia = Carangidae
genus = "Caranx"
species = "C. latus "
binomial = "Caranx latus "
binomial_authority = Agassiz, 1829
synonyms = The Horse-eye Jack, "Caranx latus", is a gamefish and minor commercial fish in the family Carangidae. It is also known as the Big-eye jack, and is similar in appearance to the Crevalle jack, although the head of a Horse-eye jack is not as blunt. Horse-eye jack are known to feed on smaller fish and on many invertebrates such as shrimp and crab.

Description

The Horse-eye jack, known for its proportionally large eyes, commonly has 8-9 spines on its dorsal fin and 20-22 dorsal rays. The anal fin contains 2-3 spines and 16-17 rays. The pectoral fins are without spots although they can may have a spot on their gill covers. Their scutes are dark and color and can be found on the tail of the fish. The caudal fin of a Horse-eye jack is bright yellow, while the Crevalle jack's caudal fin has a slightly darker yellow tinge. Young individuals have large, dark bars on their bodies.

Although adult Horse-eye jack commonly swim together in small to large schools either as one species or with Crevalle jack, they are known to swim in pairs with drastically different species such as "Halichoeres radiatus", a type of wrasse.

Habitat and range

Horse-eye jack are commonly found in the subtropical Atlantic ocean from Bermuda and the northern Gulf of Mexico south to Rio de Janero. In the Eastern Atlantic, they are found from St. Paul's Rocks to Ascension Island and, rarely, the Gulf of Guinea. Horse-eye jack are pelagic. They can be found on reefs and off shore rigs. Juveniles can be found close to shore along sandy and muddy bottoms. Horse-eye jack are known to penetrate brackish water and can live in the mouths of some rivers. They are typically found in salt water up to 140 m in depth.

Reaction to Divers

Horse-eye jack are generally wary of scuba divers. They tend to move slowly away as divers approach. However, schools of Horse-eye jack have been known to crowd around divers, apparently attracted to the bubbles the diver exhales.

References

*Caranx latus, Horse-eye Jack - MarineBio.org. Retrieved Wednesday, November 28, 2007, from http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=291.
*http://www.csulb.edu/depts/biology/marine/species/Horse-eye_Jack.html_f/Horse-eye_Jack.html
*IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Downloaded on 28 November 2007.
*http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=1935
*http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/~floeter/PDFs/Feitoza%20et%20al%202003_Aqua.pdf
*REEF FISH Identification FLORIDA CARIBBEAN BAHAMAS; Humann, Paul and Ned Deloach; New World Publications Inc., Jacksonville, Fl; pp. 47

External links

* [http://www.csulb.edu/depts/biology/marine/species/Horse-eye_Jack.html_f/Horse-eye_Jack.html Horse-eye Jack] listing
* [http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=291 Horse-eye Jack] at MarineBio.org
*http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=1935