Atlantic bumper
Encyclopedia
The Atlantic bumper, Chloroscombrus chrysurus, is a game fish in the family
, Carangidae
. It was first described by the "father of modern taxonomy
", Carl Linnaeus in the book
, Systema Naturae
. Atlantic bumper are known to eat smaller fish
, cephalopod
s, and zooplankton
.
is arched near the head
. Atlantic bumper are generally described as silver to golden colored, with golden yellow on the anal and caudal fins, which have 3 spines
, 25-28 rays and 9 spines, 25-28 rays, respectively. There is an obvious black saddle
-shaped blotch on the caudal peduncle and a similar patch near the edge of the opercle
.
Although the average size of Atlantic bumper is 25 cm, the largest recorded Atlantic bumper was 65 cm long.
, south to Florida
. They are known to be found off Bermuda
, in the Caribbean
, and the Gulf of Mexico
. Their range continues south to the coast
of Uruguay
. In the eastern Atlantic, the Atlantic bumper are known from the coast of Mauritania
to Angola
. They are not found in the eastern Pacific because they replaced by another species, Chloroscombrus orqueta, or the Pacific bumper. However little is known about how these two species relate to each other, and they may represent only one species.
The Atlantic bumper is found in subtropical waters up to 55 m in depth. They usually dwell near soft bottoms of the continental shelf
, but have been observed schooling
near the surface. While it is primarily a salt water
fish, juveniles have been found in brackish estuaries.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, Carangidae
Carangidae
Carangidae is a family of fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, and scads.They are marine fish found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. It was first described by the "father of modern taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
", Carl Linnaeus in the book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
, Systema Naturae
Systema Naturae
The book was one of the major works of the Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carolus Linnaeus. The first edition was published in 1735...
. Atlantic bumper are known to eat smaller fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, cephalopod
Cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...
s, and zooplankton
Zooplankton
Zooplankton are heterotrophic plankton. Plankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. The word "zooplankton" is derived from the Greek zoon , meaning "animal", and , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter"...
.
Description
The Atlantic bumper is best recognized by its profile, the bottom being much more curved than the top. Also, the lateral lineLateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
is arched near the head
Head
In anatomy, the head of an animal is the rostral part that usually comprises the brain, eyes, ears, nose and mouth . Some very simple animals may not have a head, but many bilaterally symmetric forms do....
. Atlantic bumper are generally described as silver to golden colored, with golden yellow on the anal and caudal fins, which have 3 spines
Spine (zoology)
A spine is a hard, thorny or needle-like structure which occurs on various animals. Animals such as porcupines and sea urchins grow spines as a self-defense mechanism. Spines are often formed of keratin...
, 25-28 rays and 9 spines, 25-28 rays, respectively. There is an obvious black saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
-shaped blotch on the caudal peduncle and a similar patch near the edge of the opercle
Operculum (fish)
The operculum of a bony fish is the hard bony flap covering and protecting the gills. In most fish, the rear edge of the operculum roughly marks the division between the head and the body....
.
Although the average size of Atlantic bumper is 25 cm, the largest recorded Atlantic bumper was 65 cm long.
Distribution and habitat
In the western Atlantic, Atlantic bumper is found from MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, south to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. They are known to be found off Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, and the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. Their range continues south to the coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
of Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. In the eastern Atlantic, the Atlantic bumper are known from the coast of Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
to Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. They are not found in the eastern Pacific because they replaced by another species, Chloroscombrus orqueta, or the Pacific bumper. However little is known about how these two species relate to each other, and they may represent only one species.
The Atlantic bumper is found in subtropical waters up to 55 m in depth. They usually dwell near soft bottoms of the continental shelf
Continental shelf
The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...
, but have been observed schooling
Shoaling and schooling
In biology, any group of fish that stay together for social reasons are said to be shoaling , and if, in addition, the group is swimming in the same direction in a coordinated manner, they are said to be schooling . In common usage, the terms are sometimes used rather loosely...
near the surface. While it is primarily a salt water
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
fish, juveniles have been found in brackish estuaries.
External links
- http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=385
- http://research.myfwc.com/gallery/image_details.asp?id=14507
- http://zipcodezoo.com/Animals/C/Chloroscombrus_chrysurus.asp