Horse-eye jack
Encyclopedia
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
.
s, 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
.
from Bermuda
and the northern Gulf of Mexico
south to Rio de Janeiro
. 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 sand
y 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.
. 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.
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
in the family
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 is also known as the Big-eye jack, and is similar in appearance to the Crevalle jack
Crevalle jack
The crevalle jack, Caranx hippos is a common species of large marine fish classified within the jack family, Carangidae...
, although the head of a Horse-eye jack is not as blunt. Horse-eye jack are known to feed
Feed
Feed may refer to:In animal foodstuffs:* Compound feed, feedstuffs that are blended from various raw materials and additives* Fodder , any foodstuff that is used specifically to feed domesticated livestockIn computing:...
on 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...
and on many invertebrates such as shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
and crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
.
Description
The Horse-eye jack, known for its proportionally large eyeEye
Eyes are organs that detect light and convert it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons. The simplest photoreceptors in conscious vision connect light to movement...
s, commonly has 8-9 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...
on its 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...
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
Gill
A gill is a respiratory organ found in many aquatic organisms that extracts dissolved oxygen from water, afterward excreting carbon dioxide. The gills of some species such as hermit crabs have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are kept moist...
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
Crevalle jack
The crevalle jack, Caranx hippos is a common species of large marine fish classified within the jack family, Carangidae...
caudal fin has a slightly darker yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
tinge. Young individuals have large, dark bars on their bodies.
Although adult
Adult
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....
Horse-eye jack commonly swim together in small to large schools
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...
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
Wrasse
The wrasses are a family, Labridae, of marine fish, many of which are brightly colored. The family is large and diverse, with over 600 species in 82 genera, which are divided into nine subgroups or tribes....
.
Habitat and range
Horse-eye jack are commonly found in the subtropical Atlantic oceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
from 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...
and 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...
south to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. In the Eastern Atlantic, they are found from St. Paul's Rocks to Ascension Island
Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
and, rarely, the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
.
Horse-eye jack are pelagic. They can be found on reefs and off shore rigs. Juveniles
Juveniles
Juvenile may refer to:* Juvenile * Minor * Children's literature* Children's clothing...
can be found close to shore
Shore
A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore,...
along sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
y 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 diversScuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
. 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
Liquid bubble
A bubble is a globule of one substance in another, usually gas in a liquid.Due to the Marangoni effect, bubbles may remain intact when they reach the surface of the immersive substance.-Common examples:...
the diver exhales.
External links
- Horse-eye Jack listing
- Horse-eye Jack at MarineBio.org
- http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=1935