Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system

Español  Contact

Species: Hemicaranx leucurus, Yellowfin jack

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

oval
fins yellow
D & C: black edge
juvenile: 6-9 dark bars
teeth - 1 row, like comb
pectoral base black, passes A origin
tail base scutes not high

Hemicaranx leucurus (Günther, 1864)

Yellowfin jack

Body oval, moderately compressed in adult; both jaws with comb-like single row of small teeth; no papillae on edge of shoulder immediately after gill chamber; gill rakers (excluding rudiments) 7-10 + 20-22; dorsal rays VII-VIII+I, 25-28; anal rays II+I, 20-25; no finlets behind dorsal and anal fins; pectoral fins longer than head, length of fin 33-39% of fork length, fin passes anal fin origin; tail base without keels; no branch of lateral line along besides base of dorsal fin; lateral line with pronounced, short arch anteriorly; straight rear part (but not curved front part) of lateral line with 50-58 well developed scutes (large, hard, spiny scales); scutes on front of tail base relatively low (1.7-3.1% of SL); most of body with small but easily visible scales.

Deep blue on upper half, lower sides and belly silvery; a black blotch at base of pectoral fin; fins yellow or orange yellow, the tail and dorsal fin narrowly edged with black; juveniles have 6-9 dark bars on the side.

Size: attains 30 cm.

Habitat: common inshore, often found in schools over soft bottoms.

Depth: 0-30 m.

Southern Baja and the  Gulf of California to Ecuador.


High Resolution Map Download

Species Data Create Report Export as Word File Export as Excel File
Salinity
  • Marine
  • Brackish
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
  • Mid Water
  • Near Bottom
  • Bottom + water column
  • Near Surface
Habitat
  • Estuary
  • Water column
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Sand & gravel
FishBase Habitat
  • Bentho-Pelagic
Feeding Group
  • No Data
  • Carnivore
Diet
  • No Data
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • No data
  • Pelagic larva
  • Pelagic
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
  • East Pacific endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continental TEP endemic
  • 3 provinces (Cortez + Mexican + Panamic) endemic
  • All species
  • TEP endemic
  • Continent only
  • Continent
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
  • Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
  • North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 30
Length Max
  • 30