456 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



Figure 33. — Caranx crysos: Size distribution, by months, of specimens taken off the southeastern Atlantic coast of the 



United States. 



represent a population that occurs each year 

 from summer to fall and moves northward in the 

 Stream and the Antilles Current, then much of 

 this population must be recruited from areas that 

 contribute to this portion of the Stream, although 

 some part of the population may be the result of 

 reproduction within the area. 



On the basis of two collections of crysos from 

 12 to 72 mm., Nichols (1939: 5 and 8) predicted 

 a "nursery ground" for the species in the Gulf 

 Stream off Maryland (37° 12' N., 67°39' W. to 

 38°59' N., 69°46' W.) in late August, These 

 fish probably represented a northward continua- 

 tion of the population which occurs yearly off the 

 coast of the Southeastern States. 



The absence of records of crysos from inshore 

 waters along the Atlantic coast from December 

 through June indicates that the larger fish which 

 have been reported from the coast during July 

 through November either migrate to the south 

 or move offshore to the warmer waters of the 

 Stream during the colder months. 



Spawning 



The spawning season that contributes young 

 crysos to this area may be estimated, from the 

 smallest specimens taken in May (12.4 mm.) and 

 in October (13.2 mm.), to extend from early April 

 to early September (fig. 33). 



The only specimens of Caranx with developed 

 gonads that were examined during this study 

 were five crysos taken by the Oregon from about 

 50 to 60 miles east-southeast of South Pass, La., 

 July 20-26, 1956. None of these fish were run- 

 ning-ripe; but the four females (247 mm., 253 

 mm., 266 mm., and 267 mm. standard length) 

 had enlarged ovaries about 50 mm. long contain- 

 ing macroscopically visible eggs, and the one male 

 (225 mm.) had enlarged testes about 50 mm. 

 long. The pigmentation of these specimens was 

 unusual, and is described under the section on 

 Pigmentation, page 453. 



Erdman (1956: 230) noted crysos in spawning 

 condition in May at Puerto Rico. Holbrook 

 (1S60: 93) described the testes of crysos from 



