Bar jack
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| Bar jack | ||||||||||||||
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| Carangoides ruber Bloch, 1793 |
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Carangoides ruber, or the bar jack is an ocean-dwelling fish commonly found in the central Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean. It is a fairly popular sport fish and can be caught on light tackle. However, most recorded ciguatera cases on the island of St. Thomas can be traced to this single species.
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[edit] Taxonomy
The bar jack was first described as Somber ruber by Bloch, in 1793 but he later re-described it as a member of the genus, Carangoides. Aside from "Bar jack", other common names for this fish include Blue-striped cavalla, Red jack, Neverbite, and Pointnose.
[edit] Etymology
Carangoides, the genus to which the bar jack belongs, was taken from the French word, carangue, or a fish from the Caribbean, while ruber (sometimes spelled "rubber") is Latin for red.
[edit] Distribution and habitat
Although most common in the Gulf of Mexico and the West Indies, bar jacks can also be found off the coast of New Jersey and Bermuda. They generally live in shallow water above coral reefs while juveniles are found under sargassum mats for protection.
[edit] Description
The bar jack is similar to the crevalle jack, Caranx hippos, the difference being that the bar jack's chest is completely scaled. The bar jack's pectoral fin is larger that its head and, unlike most members of the Caranx genus, the straight part of the bar jack's lateral line contains scutes. The top jaw has two rows of canine teeth while the bottom jaw has only one row.
[edit] Coloration
Bar jack are colored similarly to the crevalle jack: both have gray bodies with a silvery tint and a white belly. Adult bar jack, however, have a horizontal bar, for which they are named, running down the upper halves of their bodies; this bar shows a brownish color when an individual is feeding on the seafloor.
[edit] References
- IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 15 October 2007.
- http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/barjack/barjack.html
- Berry, F.H. and W.F. Smith-Vaniz. 1978. (Ref. 3277)
