Selene vomer
Lookdown
NS
G5
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Carangidae (Jacks)
Selene
Selene vomer (Lookdown)
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.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
Learn more about our species accounts.
Characters
Very deep bodied and extremely compressed, with dorsal and ventral profiles parallel to abdominal margin, pelvic fins very short, and scales very small and embedded. Dorsal profile of head is very obtuse and concave to above eye and strongly rounded to nape. Snout is blunt. Eye possesses poorly developed adipose eyelid. Maxilla extends to below anterior margin of eye. Jaw teeth are relatively small, conical, and recurved and arranged in narrow bands. Preopercular margin is membranous. Gill rakers on first arch are lathlike and number 6 to 9 on upper limb and 23 to 27 on lower limb. Branchiostegal rays number 7. Pectoral fin is falcate and has 20 to 22 rays. First dorsal fin has eight spines, with first four spines elongated and second spine equal to 2.5 times FL in specimens shorter than 35 mm FL. Second dorsal fin has one spine and 20 to 23 rays, with anterior rays forming elongate filament. Anal fin consists of two free spines followed by one spine and 17 to 20 rays, with anterior rays elongated and forming acute lobe. Free anal fin rays are absent in specimens greater than 110 mm FL. Pelvic fins are very short in adults but greatly elongated in juveniles to 90 mm FL. Scales are very small and cycloid, cover most of body, but are mostly absent above lateral line anterior to second dorsal fin. Straight section of lateral line has 7 to 12 weakly developed scutes. Caudal peduncle lacks keels. Vertebrae number 24: 10 precaudal and 14 caudal.
Color is silvery to golden, and dorsal surface has metallic bluish tinge. Prolonged dorsal and anal fin rays are black. Juveniles have dusky, slightly oblique crossband and band over eye.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Maine to Uruguay, including the northern and southern Gulf of Mexico and the Greater Antilles.
Habitat Associations
Shallow coastal waters
Biology
Feeds near the bottom on crustaceans and ray-finned fishes.
Maximum known size is 400 mm FL.
Adults are found in shallow coastal waters, usually over hard or sandy bottoms. Juveniles may be encountered in estuarine areas (Ref. 9626) and off sandy beaches (Ref. 5217). Found in schools, but may be encountered in small groups or in pairs (Ref. 26235). Adults feed on small crabs, shrimps, fishes, and worms. Flesh has excellent flavor (Ref. 5521). Marketed fresh (Ref. 9710).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-08-21. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
Bigelow and Schroeder 1953
Hoese and Moore 1977, 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Cervigón 1993b
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Smith-Vaniz 2002c
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.
Cervigón, F. (1993) Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 2. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 497 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.
Uyeno, T., K. Matsuura and E. Fujii (eds.) (1983) Fishes trawled off Suriname and French Guiana. Japan Marine Fishery Resource Research Center, Tokyo, Japan. 519 p.
Gómez-Canchong, P., L. Manjarrés M., L.O. Duarte and J. Altamar (2004) Atlas pesquero del area norte del Mar Caribe de Colombia. Universidad del Magadalena, Santa Marta. 230 p.
Gross, M.R. and R. Shine (1981) Parental care and mode of fertilization in ectothermic vertebrates. Evolution 35(4):775-793.
Comments On Selene vomer