212 



Fishery Bulletin 105(2) 



Poey, C. melampygus, C. papuensis, and C. tille Cuvier. 

 In addition to C. fischeri, hyperostotic posttemporal 

 bones are present in large individuals of the blue run- 

 ner (C. crysos) and green jack (C caballus) allopatric 

 species that are possibly conspecific. Caranx hippos is 

 exceptional in that the neural spines of at least verte- 

 brae 6-12 are hyperostotic in large adults. The ventral 

 end of the cleithrum is hyperossified in large C. hippos, 

 C. latiis, and C. sexfasciatus, but the shape of the hyper- 

 ossifcation is noticeably different (wider and shorter) in 

 the latter two species, which also differ from C. hippos 

 in having two separate regions of hyperostosis on the 

 cleithrum. The pelvic bones are hyperossified only in 

 C. hippos and C. caninus. In large adults of C. cajiinus 

 and western Atlantic C. hippos the first pterygiophore 

 of the spinous dorsal fin becomes so enlarged that it 

 resembles an oblong swollen fruit; but see discussion 

 of geographic variation associated with hyperostosis of 

 this pterygiophore in C. hippos species account. Even 

 in small individuals of both species (where no pterygi- 

 ophore swelling is evident), this bone is noticeably wider 

 in lateral profile than in similar size individuals of C. 

 fischeri, a species that never develops hyperostosis in 

 this pterygiophore. The only site of hyperostosis in C. 

 senegallus (largest specimen examined was 30 cm FL) 

 is the posterior part of the supraoccipital crest. Hy- 

 perostosis is extensive in C. bucculentus Alleyne and 

 Macleay and includes the entire supraoccipital crest, 

 first supraneural, first pterygiophore of the dorsal and 

 anal fins, and a pair of patches on the caudal fin near 

 its base. The ribs on precaudal vertebrae 5-7 (C fisch- 

 eri) or 6-8 (C. hippos) exhibit extensive hyperostosis 

 in relatively large individuals, but C. fischeri differs 

 in that only the distal half of each rib is hyperossified. 

 The only apparent contradiction to the consistent site 



specificity of hyperostosis in the C. hippos group is 

 the pattern of occurrence seen on ribs of C. caninus. 

 Ribs of the fifth precaudal vertebra appear "normal" 

 in nine specimens (359-643 mm FL), are strongly and 

 uniquely hyperostotic in six others (335-431 mm FL), 

 and in SIO 65-176A (670 mm FL) there is a slight 

 but noticeable swelling only in the middle part of the 

 rib. Even more unexpectedly, in two of six individuals 

 only one rib of these bilaterally paired structures was 

 strongly hyperostotic and its counterpart rib exhibited 

 no hyperostosis. 



Caranx carangopsis Steindachner, described from 

 mid-Miocene deposits near Vienna, Austria, also de- 

 serves mention. Heckel (1852) recognized the distinc- 

 tiveness of this fossil species and gave it a scientific 

 name, but the subsequent description was prepared 

 entirely by Steindachner (1859) who must be credited 

 as author of the species. The original description is 

 based on an incomplete series of disarticulated bones, 

 some of which are clearly hyperostotic, from several 

 individuals estimated to have been about 0.9 meters 

 in length. The scientific name refers to the presumed 

 close relationship of this fossil species to C. cara?igus 

 ( = C. hippos) — a relationship based, in part, on the oc- 

 currence of hyperostotic bones (including the ribs, some 

 of the vertebrae, and the first dorsal-fin pterygiophore) 

 in both species. The text descriptions and illustrations 

 of the massively swollen first pterygiophore and pleural 

 ribs of C. carangopsis agree reasonably well with those 

 of western Atlantic C. hippos, but do not resemble that 

 characteristic of eastern Atlantic C. hippos. Steindach- 

 ner's (1859) accurate description (footnote on p. 690) 

 of the swollen neural spines of the vertebrae in a 1220 

 mm TL C. carangus ( = C. hippos) also contrasts sharply 

 with his illustrations (pi. 7, Figs. 1-3) of the very differ- 



