Caranx ruber

Common Name

Bar Jack

Year Described

Bloch, 1793

Identification

Dorsal Fin: 8 spines in first lobe, followed by I, 26-30
Anal Fin: 2 spines separate from rest, followed by I, 23-26
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Gill Rakers: 10-14 upper, 31-38 lower
Vertebrae: 10 precaudal, 14 caudal

Elongate, moderately compressed, and moderately deep-bodied, with a large head, pointed snout, and a moderate eye (5.4-5.8 times in HL). Adipose eyelid moderate. Snout long; jaw at most barely reaching anterior margin of eye. Teeth villiform; in a single band in both jaws (widest anteriorly). Pectoral fins falcate, longer than head. Spiny dorsal fin lower than lobe of second dorsal fin. Anterior lobe of second dorsal and anal fin raised. Tail deeply forked. Lateral line with a moderate anterior arch and a straight posterior portion with 23-29 scutes. Small cycloid scales on entire body, including entire chest. Bilateral caudal keels present. Hyperostosis absent.

Color

Silvery on body, with a blue-gray tint above. A dark stripe extends over the entire dorsal midline from snout to the caudal fin, continuing onto the lower caudal fin lobe. A blue band of similar width borders underneath the black stripe. Dorsal and anal fins body colored or dusky (rear dorsal often dark). Upper caudal and dorsal lobe often with a yellowish tip. Juveniles with 6 dark bands.

Size

Common to 40cm FL. Maximum size to >50cm FL.

Habitat

Insular pelagic or reef associated in clear waters. Found in small to large schools. Juveniles associate with flotsam.

Range

New Jersey to Venezuela, including Bermuda and the Caribbean islands.

References

Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 2003. Carangidae (pp 1426-1468). In: Carpenter. 2003. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic v. 3.