Species: Caranx hippos, Crevalle Jack

Caranx hippos (Linnaeus, 1766)

Crevalle Jack

Body oblong, moderately compressed in adults; top jaw reaching to under or past rear edge of eye; top jaw with an outer row of strong canines and an inner band of fine teeth; lower jaw with one row of teeth; 16-19 lower gill rakers; margin of body at rear of gill chamber without papillae; pectoral fins longer than head; dorsal (VIII + I, 19-21) and anal (II+I, 16-17), front lobes of both fins distinctly raised; no finlets after 2nd dorsal and anal fins; tail base slender; tail strongly forked; straight rear part (but not curved front part) of lateral line with 23-25 scutes (large, hard spiny scales); breast and pectoral base without scales, except small patch of scales between pelvics; tail base with a pair of keels on each side.

Body greenish to bluish to bluish black above, white below; a large black spot at top corner of operculum; a large round black spot on lower front edge of pectoral fin; juveniles with ~5 dark bars on body.

Reaches 124 cm; 32 kg.

Over soft and seagrass bottoms, less common around reefs; in brackish water and enters freshwater; larger fish mainly in deep water; juveniles in estuaries and seagrass beds.

Depth range: 0-350 m.

Nova Scotia to Uruguay.