Species: Uraspis secunda, Cottonmouth jack
dark, +/- bars
Uraspis secunda (Poey, 1860)
Cottonmouth jack
Oblong, moderately compressed; snout rounded; mouth reaches under front part of eye; teeth small, pointed, curved, in bands in small fish, 1 row in large fish; gill rakers (excluding rudiments) 3-8 + 13-16; dorsal rays VIII+I, 27-32, first dorsal a low triangle, posterior spines of first dorsal fin may become embedded with growth); anal rays II (embedded in all but very young fish) + I, 19-23; pectorals longer than head, curved; no isolated finlets behind dorsal and anal fins; anal spines reduced or absent; tail base slender; tail strongly forked; with 26-40 small scutes (hard, spiny scales) on straight part of lateral line, those at rear point forwards; small scales over most of body, absent on breast and on base of pectoral, operculum partly scaled; lateral line with pronounced arch anteriorly.
Body dusky, sometimes with 6 broad dark bars with narrow pale spaces between them; tongue, roof and floor of mouth white, remainder of mouth blue black.
Size: grows to about 50 cm.
Habitat: coastal pelagic, typically occurs in small schools.
Depth: 1-116 m.
Atlantic and Pacific; New Jersey to Brazil.
Note: Probably not a synonym of Uraspis helvola.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Surface
- Near Surface
- Mid Water
- Water column only
- Habitat
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- Water column
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Pelagic
- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Planktivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Bony fishes
- Data
- Pelagic crustacea
- Zooplankton
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Atlantic + Pacific Oceans
- All species.
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent + Island (s)
- All species..
- Island (s)
- Continent
- Also in Brazil
- Extends North of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Extends South of GC
- Extends N + S of GC
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Temperate (>35N)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 50
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 116
