Caranx ruber
Bar 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 ruber (Bar 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
Elongate and moderately compressed body, relatively long second dorsal fin, bony scutes on straight portion of lateral line. Dorsal profile of head evenly convex, snout moderately pointed. Eye with adipose eyelid. Maxilla extends nearly to anterior margin of eye. Jaw teeth in upper jaw consist of outer row of enlarged, recurved teeth and inner band of villiform teeth. Preopercular margin smooth in specimens > 44 mm SL. Gill rakers on first arch lathlike, 10-14 on upper limb and 31-38 on lower limb. Branchiostegal rays 7. Pectoral fin falcate with 19-21 rays. First dorsal fin with 8 spines, second dorsal fin with 1 spine and 26-30 rays. Anal fin with 2 free spines followed by 1 spine and 23-26 rays. Chest fully scaled. Lateral line moderately arched anteriorly with 97-104 scales, including 23-29 scutes on posterior straight section. Caudal peduncle with 2 keels. Vertebrae 24: 10 precaudal and 14 caudal.
Silvery gray dorsally and silvery white ventrally, with dark bar extending from second dorsal fin through lower lobe of caudal fin. Juveniles have 6 vertical bars on body.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from New Jersey and Bermuda to Venezuela, including the entire Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles.
In the northern Gulf of Mexico it is limited to offshore waters.
Habitat Associations
Clear shallow water, usually near coral reefs. Depth range not specified.
Often forms small to large schools. Juveniles associated with rafts of Sargassum weed.
Biology
Food consists of shrimps, other invertebrates, and especially ray-finned fishes.
Maximum known size is about 500 mm TL.
Common in clear insular areas or in coral reefs off mainland coasts (Ref. 5217). Juveniles frequent areas with algae (e.g. Sargassum) (Ref. 26235). Usually in schools which may be spawning groups; occasionally solitary. Feeds on fishes, shrimps and other invertebrates. Marketed fresh (Ref. 56217). Easily approached (Ref. 9710). Large individuals have caused ciguatera when eaten (Ref. 13442).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-08-20. Resilience: Medium (K=0.14-0.24; tm=3; Fec=800,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Berry 1959
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996 (as Carangoides ruber)
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Cervigón 1993b
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999 (as Carangoides ruber)
Smith-Vaniz 2002c
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Palomares, M.L.D. and D. Pauly (1989) A multiple regression model for predicting the food consumption of marine fish populations. Aust. J. Mar. Freshwat. Res. 40(3):259-273.
Berry, F.H. and W.F. Smith-Vaniz (1978) Carangidae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. West Atlantic (Fishing Area 31). volume 1. FAO, Rome. [var. pag.].
Bohnsack, J.A. and D.E. Harper (1988) Length-weight relationships of selected marine reef fishes from the southeastern United States and the Caribbean. NOAA Tech. Mem. NMFS-SEFC-215:31 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.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
Sierra, L.M., R. Claro and O.A. Popova (1994) Alimentacion y relaciones tróficas. p. 263-284. In Rodolfo Claro (ed.) Ecología de los Peces Marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Gasparini, J.L. and S.R. Floeter (2001) The shore fishes of Trindade Island, western South Atlantic. J. Nat. Hist. 35:1639-1656.
Comments On Caranx ruber