504 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



Caranx caninus Gunther, 1869, p. 432 (Pacific coast of 

 Panama) . 



Carangus hippus, Jordan and Gilbert, 1879, p. 376 (Beau- 

 fort, N. C). 



Caranx hippus, Jordan and Gilbert, 1882a, p. 269 (Lake 

 Borgne, La.). 



Caranx hippos, Jordan and Gilbert, 1882b, p. 970 (key). 



Caranx hippos hippos, Nichols, 1920c, p. 45 (Atlantic 

 coast of United States; Gulf of California). 



Caranx hippos tropicus Nichols, 1920c, p. 45 (Para, 

 Brazil; ? Congo River, Africa). 



Caranx hippos caninus, Nichols, 1937a, p. 58 (Gulf of 

 California; Galapagos). 



Nomenclature 



Caranx hippos (Linnaeus) may be regarded as a 

 circumtropical species until comparative studies of 

 adequate samples of forms variously attributed to 

 and inadequately separated from this species have 

 been made with respect to worldwide distribution. 

 Subspecific designations are as yet incomplete and 

 uncertain and may be disregarded. 



Many incomplete comparisons and opinions 

 have been published in reference to this species. 

 It is apparently a composite of the following 

 nominal populations: C. hippos hippos of the 

 Western Atlantic (excluding Brazil) ; C. h. tropicus 

 Nichols of Brazil, the Eastern Atlantic, and the 



Mediterranean; O. h. caninus Gunther of the 

 Eastern Pacific; and C. carangus (Bloch) of the 

 Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Varying 

 expressions on these relationships are given by 

 Gilbert and Starks (1904: 77), Fowler (1919a: 

 254), Nichols (1920c: 45; 1936: 119; 1937a: 58; 

 and 1939: 7), Meek and Hildebrand (1925: 351), 

 Weber and de Beaufort (1931: 246 and 258), 

 Walford (1937: 72), Hildebrand (1939: 38), and 

 Tortonese (1955: 194). 



The relation of Caranx hippos to C. ignobilis 

 (Forskal) and C. sansun (Forskal) of the Indo- 

 Pacific is poorly known. 



Material 



Measurements and counts were taken on a series 

 of 94 specimens from 15.3 to 830 mm. standard 

 length, and meristic values were recorded for an 

 additional 39 specimens within this size range. 

 The 178 specimens identified are listed in table 23. 



The smallest specimen of hippos previously 

 reported (Nichols 1939: 7) from the Western 

 Atlantic — 13 mm. standard length, from Atlantis 

 station 1952, Feb. 15, 1934, BOC 3418— is no 

 longer available. An 18.7-mm. specimen, which 

 evidently was not examined by Nichols, seems 



Figcre 81. — Caranx hippos juvenile, 15.3 mm. standard length (UF 3815). 



