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Species: Hemicaranx amblyrhynchus, Bluntnose Jack

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

oval
C yellow, top tip black
juv: operculum dark blotch, body - bars
D & A: no finlets behind
both jaws: 1 row comblike teeth
pectorals > head
LL: straight part with scutes

Hemicaranx amblyrhynchus (Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1833)

Bluntnose Jack

Body an elongate, compressed oval; short, blunt snout; eye small; small mouth, top jaw reaches under eye; both jaws with a single row of comb-like, small teeth; gill rakers (excluding rudiments) 7-10 + 18-23; no papillae on edge of shoulder immediately after gill chamber; dorsal rays VII+I, 2-26; anal rays II+I, 21-26; no finlets behind dorsal and anal fins; pectoral fins longer than head; tail base slender; tail strongly forked, top lobe elongate in adults; no branch of lateral line along besides base of dorsal fin; straight rear part (but not curved front part) of lateral line with 38-56 well developed scutes (large, hard, spiny scales); most of body with small but easily visible scales.

Deep bluish green on upper half, lower sides and belly silvery; a black blotch on operculum; dorsal fin margin and upper tail lobe black; juveniles have 4-5 dark bars on the side.

Size: attains 50 cm.

Habitat: pelagic, common inshore, juveniles entering brackish water.

Depth: 0-50 m, adults at deeper part of range.

N Carolina to Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Brackish
  • Freshwater
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Mid Water
  • Near Bottom
  • Near Surface
  • Surface
  • Water column only
Habitat
  • Water column
  • Estuary
  • Flotsam
  • Freshwater
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Pelagic
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Continental primarily
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Extends North of GC
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 50
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 50