Cottonmouth jack
Encyclopedia
The cottonmouth jack, Uraspis secunda, is a gamefish in the family Carangidae
. It was first described in 1860 by Cuba
n zoologist Felipe Poey
in his two-volume work Historia Natural de la Isla de Cuba, or "Natural History of the Island of Cuba". It is also known as the cottonmouth trevally.
cottonmouth jack are usually dark in color, while juveniles
are pale with six or seven brown, vertical bars along their sides. They are named "cottonmouth" because they are distinguished from other members of their family by their bleach
-white mouth
and tongue
. The cottonmouth jack's dorsal fin
has a total of nine spines
and twenty seven to thirty two soft rays. The anal fin has only three spines and nineteen to twenty three soft rays.
The longest known cottonmouth jack measured 50 cm and the greatest published weight was 2.04kg.
s at depths from 1 to 36 m (3 to 118 ft). In the Western Indian Ocean
, they are found off the coast
of Tanzania
, in the Eastern Pacific Ocean
, they are known from California
to Costa Rica
and Hawaii
. In the western Atlantic, cottonmouth jack are found off Massachusetts
to Brazil
. They are also known from the northern Gulf of Mexico
. In the eastern Atlantic, Cottonmouth jack are known from Mauritania
to Angola
and have also been found off the western coast of South Africa
Cottonmouth jack usually swim throughout the water column but they are occasionally seen feeding on the bottom near island
s. They do not live in large numbers and are usually seen as individuals or in small school
s.
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 in 1860 by Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n zoologist Felipe Poey
Felipe Poey
-Biography:Poey was born in Havana, the son of French and Spanish parents. He spent several years of his life in Pau then studied law in Madrid. He became a lawyer in Spain but was forced to leave due to his liberal ideas, returning to Cuba in 1823. He began to concentrate on the study of the...
in his two-volume work Historia Natural de la Isla de Cuba, or "Natural History of the Island of Cuba". It is also known as the cottonmouth trevally.
Description
AdultAdult
An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age....
cottonmouth jack are usually dark in color, while juveniles
Juvenile (organism)
A juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour...
are pale with six or seven brown, vertical bars along their sides. They are named "cottonmouth" because they are distinguished from other members of their family by their bleach
Bleach
Bleach refers to a number of chemicals that remove color, whiten, or disinfect, often via oxidation. Common chemical bleaches include household chlorine bleach , lye, oxygen bleach , and bleaching powder...
-white mouth
Mouth
The mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food andsaliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth....
and tongue
Tongue
The tongue is a muscular hydrostat on the floors of the mouths of most vertebrates which manipulates food for mastication. It is the primary organ of taste , as much of the upper surface of the tongue is covered in papillae and taste buds. It is sensitive and kept moist by saliva, and is richly...
. The cottonmouth jack's dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
has a total of nine 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...
and twenty seven to thirty two soft rays. The anal fin has only three spines and nineteen to twenty three soft rays.
The longest known cottonmouth jack measured 50 cm and the greatest published weight was 2.04kg.
Distribution and habitat
The cottonmouth jack is pelagic and found throughout many oceanOcean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
s at depths from 1 to 36 m (3 to 118 ft). In the Western Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, they are found off 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 Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, in the Eastern Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, they are known from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. In the western Atlantic, cottonmouth jack are found off Massachusetts
Massachusetts
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...
to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. They are also known from the northern 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...
. In the eastern Atlantic, Cottonmouth jack are known from 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...
and have also been found off the western coast of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
Cottonmouth jack usually swim throughout the water column but they are occasionally seen feeding on the bottom near island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s. They do not live in large numbers and are usually seen as individuals or in small school
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...
s.
External links
- http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=1012
- http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/usecunda.htm