Common Name
Castin Leatherjacket
Year Described
Bloch, 1793
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 4 spines in first lobe, followed by I, 20-21 (posterior 11-15 rays are individual finlets)
Anal Fin: 2 spines separate from rest, followed by I, 20-21 (posterior 11-15 rays are individual finlets)
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Gill Rakers: 4-7 upper, 17-20 lower; 23-26 total
Vertebrae: 10 precaudal, 16 caudal
Elongate, ovoid, and compressed, with a small head and small eye (4.3-4.4 times in HL). Forehead straight in profile, lower low profile convex. Jaw non-protractile at snout tip, reaches to posterior margin of eye. Teeth small, with one row in upper jaw and two in lower jaw. Pectoral fins shorter than head. Second dorsal and anal fins with raised anterior lobes. Tail deeply forked. Lateral line with small curve above pectoral fin and straight along rest of length without scutes. Scales needle-like and embedded in skin. Caudal keels and grooves absent.
Color
Bright silvery, darker bluish gray above. Darkest along dorsal midline. Lower body with areas of gold sheen. Second dorsal lobe dusky with gray at base. Rest of fin clear. Pectoral and anal fins clear to yellowish. Caudal fin dusky at base, yellowish posteriorly.
Size
Common to 30cm. Maximum size to 43cm.
Habitat
Pelagic or over soft bottoms in inshore shelf waters. Sometimes in estuaries
Range
Continental from eastern Honduras to Uruguay
References
Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 2003. Carangidae (pp 1426-1468). In: Carpenter. 2003. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic v. 3.