216 UNDERWATER GUIDE TO MARINE LIFE 



Similar Species: The members of this genus are so confusing that we must 

 refer the reader to other works for the details. Only a few of the common 

 relatives can be mentioned here. 



The little skipjack, Caranx ruber (/ig. 104^, is the species most commonly seen 

 by swimmers in the West Indies. It has a dark dorsal stripe extending down the 

 back and onto the lower tail lobe. This little jack reaches the length of a foot. 

 It is often seen scampering after sting rays and barracudas. These larger fishes 

 do not seem to bother this speedy little fellow. 



The blue runner (jack crevalle, hard-tailed jack), Caranx crysos, reaches 

 almost 2 feet in length and is very similar to the common jack crevalle, having 

 the opercular spot. It differs chiefly in its lower forehead, smaller size, and more 

 inshore habits. It is chiefly West Indian and ranges north to Cape Cod. 



The yellow jack, Caranx hartholomaei, has a deep, golden-tinged bodv and 

 no opercular spot. It reaches a size of up to 2 feet, but is usually seen smaller 

 and is found from the West Indies and rarely to Cape Cod. 



The horse-eye jack, Caranx sexfasciatiis, is also called "yellow jack" and is 

 another deep-bodied species. It has a small opercular spot, deep body, and very 

 large eyes. It is common in all tropical seas reaching north to Virginia and to 

 northwest Mexico. It reaches two feet in length. 



The green jack, Caranx cahallus, is very much like the blue runner but tends 

 to be greener. It is found from San Pedro, California, southward. It reaches 

 15 inches in length. 



The little bumper, Chloroscomhrus chrysurus, is similar to the typical jacks, 

 but it has no scutes on the lateral line, and the curvature of the belly is greater 

 than that of the back. It reaches only 10 inches and feeds mostly on plankton 

 inshore and offshore. The young frequently take refuge under jellvfishes. It 

 ranges from Cape Cod to Brazil, is chiefly West Indian, and has a West Coast 

 representative of western Mexico, the xurel de castilla, Chloroscoinhrus orgneta. 



PALOMETA (oLDWiFE, ALEwiFE, GAFF-TOPSAIL POMPANo) : Trachinotus yaloMieta 



Size: Averages 1 foot. 



Weight: Averages 1 pound. Up to 4 pounds. 



Distrihiition: Virginia to Argentina. Most common in the Caribbean. 



Identification: In members of this genus, the body is very deep and compressed, 

 the mouth small, the snout rounded, the color silvery (frequently with yellow 

 about the head, belly, and tail), and the spiny dorsal fin very reduced. The first 

 few soft dorsal and anal rays of this genus are usually long, but in this species 

 they are exceptionally so. This species also has four dark vertical bars. The name 

 "pampano" (anglicized, "pompano"), is a Spanish word for "grape leaf" and 

 refers to the shape of the body. 



Hahits: Pompanos are shallow-water tropical fishes. The species of the genus 

 are frequently found inshore in surf and about coral areas as well. The larger 

 ones are found in deeper waters frequently, but as a whole, these fishes keep 

 more to inlets or sand and mud bottoms than do the typical jacks. Almost all 

 of them travel in small schools or pods. Because of the small mouth, the food is 

 limited to small fishes, crustaceans, and molluscs. 



Similar Species: This is another large and confusing genus which contains 

 some of the finest food fishes that swim. 



