Uraspis secunda
Cottonmouth Jack
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Carangidae (Jacks)
Uraspis
Uraspis secunda (Cottonmouth 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.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
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Characters
Oblong and moderately compressed body; bony scutes on straight portion of lateral line; first dorsal fin lower than lobe of second dorsal fin; chest naked; dorsal and ventral profiles equally convex but slightly asymmetrical; snout bluntly pointed; eye with weakly developed adipose eyelid; maxilla extends to anterior margin or middle of eye; jaw teeth in 2-4 irregular rows in specimens <280 mm FL, single row in larger specimens; 3-8 lathlike gill rakers on upper limb and 13-16 on lower limb; 7 branchiostegal rays; pectoral fin falcate with 22-24 rays; first dorsal fin with 8 spines, second dorsal fin with 1 spine and 27-32 rays; anal fin with 2 free spines followed by 1 spine and 19-23 rays; scales small and cycloid; lateral line moderately arched anteriorly with 26-40 well-developed scutes on posterior straight section; 24 vertebrae (10 precaudal, 14 caudal); two poorly developed keels on caudal peduncle
Leaden, bluish black or dusky dorsally; dark olive to bluish in specimens >300 mm FL; juveniles and specimens up to 300 mm FL with 6 or 7 dark bars on body; tongue and floor of mouth white or cream colored; remainder of mouth black
Distribution
New Jersey and Bermuda to São Paulo, Brazil, including the eastern and north-central Gulf of Mexico and Santo Domingo in the Greater Antilles
Habitat Associations
Oceanic species
Biology
435 mm FL
Adults are mostly oceanic and pelagic but sometimes found near the bottom, often near islands. Solitary or in small schools (Ref. 2850).
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.
References
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Smith-Vaniz 1986a
Smith-Vaniz 2001b
Smith-Vaniz 2002c
Cervigón 1993a
Cervigón 1993b
Smith-Vaniz, W.F. (1986) Carangidae. p. 638-661. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Smith-Vaniz, W.F., J.-C. Quéro and M. Desoutter (1990) Carangidae. p. 729-755. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
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.
Al-Abdessalaam, T.Z.S. (1995) Marine species of the Sultanate of Oman. Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Sultanate of Oman. 412 p.
Gross, M.R. and R. Shine (1981) Parental care and mode of fertilization in ectothermic vertebrates. Evolution 35(4):775-793.
Bacchet, P., T. Zysman and Y. Lefèvre (2006) Guide des poissons de Tahiti et ses îles. Tahiti (Polynésie Francaise): Éditions Au Vent des Îles. 608 p.
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