Caranx lugubris
Black Jack
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Carangidae (Jacks)
Caranx
Caranx lugubris (Black Jack)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Oblong and moderately compressed body; relatively high second dorsal fin; bony scutes on straight portion of lateral line; dorsal profile of head straight anteriorly and strongly convex at level of eye; snout bluntly pointed; eye with prominent adipose eyelid; maxilla extends to about middle of eye; jaw teeth in narrow bands with outer row of upper jaw enlarged and recurved; outer teeth of lower jaw enlarged but smaller than those of upper jaw; preopercular margin smooth in specimens > 40 mm SL; 6-8 lathlike gill rakers on upper limb and 18-21 on lower limb; 7 branchiostegal rays; pectoral fin falcate with 20-22 rays; first dorsal fin with 8 spines; second dorsal fin with 1 spine and 20-23 rays, anterior rays greatly elongate; anal fin with 2 free spines followed by 1 spine and 17-20 rays, anterior rays greatly elongated; chest fully scaled; lateral line strongly arched anteriorly with 26-33 scutes on posterior straight section; caudal peduncle with 2 keels; 24 vertebrae (10 precaudal, 14 caudal)
Gray to brown, with fins and posterior scutes dark brown to black; color of juveniles unknown
Distribution
Southern Florida and Bermuda to Brazil, including the Bahamas, the Greater and Lesser Antilles, and offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Clear oceanic water, typically at depths of 24-65 m
Biology
Mostly ray-finned fishes
Maximum known size is about 991 mm FL
An oceanic and insular species, very much restricted to clear oceanic waters (Ref. 9283). Not commonly found in shallow banks (Ref. 9283). Sometimes seen near drop-off at outer edge of reefs (Ref. 26938). Occasionally forming schools. Feed on fishes at night (Ref. 5213). Eggs are pelagic (Ref. 4233). Marketed mainly fresh, also dried or salted (Ref. 9283).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-08-20. Resilience: Low (K=0.12).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish; aquaculture: commercial.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Berry 1959
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Smith-Vaniz 1986a
Smith-Vaniz 2001b
Cervigón 1993b
Smith 1997
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Myers, R.F. (1991) Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
Smith-Vaniz, W.F. (1986) Carangidae. p. 815-844. In P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese (eds.) Fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. UNESCO, Paris. vol. 2.
Honebrink, R. (1990) Fishing in Hawaii: a student manual. Education Program, Division of Aquatic Resources, Honolulu, Hawaii. 79 p.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Paxton, J.R., D.F. Hoese, G.R. Allen and J.E. Hanley (1989) Pisces. Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Vol. 7. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 665 p.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
Allen, G.R. and M.V. Erdmann (2012) Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth, Australia: Universitiy of Hawai'i Press, Volumes I-III. Tropical Reef Research.
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