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 the horse-eye jack is not as blunt. The species is commonly known as the horse-eye jack in reference to the large eyes of the species. The horse-eye jack is a large fish, growing to a maximum recorded length of 101 cm and a weight of 13.4 kg, however is more common at lengths less than 60 cm. The horse-eye jack has a body form similar to other large jacks found throughout its range, with a moderately compressed elongate and deep body. The eyes are large in proportion to the rest of the head and covered by a well-developed adipose eyelid. Adult horse-eye jack are typically dark blue to silvery-blue above, becoming silvery white to golden below. The caudal fin is yellow to dusky in color. Unlike the crevalle jack, there is no dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin, but there may be dark spots on the gill covers. The horse-eye jack is commonly found in the subtropical Atlantic ocean from Bermuda and the northern Gulf of Mexico and south to Rio de Janeiro. In the eastern Atlantic, it is found from St. Paul's Rocks to Ascension Island and, rarely, the in the Gulf of Guinea. It is a pelagic fish. It can be found on reefs and offshore oil rigs. The juvenile can be found closer to shore along sandy and muddy bottoms. The species may venture into brackish waters and can live in river mouths, but it is typically found in saltwater up to 140 m in depth. The adult horse-eye jack commonly swims with others in a school, either as one species or mixed with crevalle jack. Sometimes it also swims as a pair with a member of a very different species, such as Halichoeres radiatus, a type of wrasse.

horse-eye_jack.txt · Last modified: 2013/12/27 17:02 by grinder
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