Selar crumenophthalmus (Bloch, 1793)
Bigeye scad
Selar crumenophthalmus
photo by Field, R.

Family:  Carangidae (Jacks and pompanos), subfamily: Caranginae
Max. size:  70 cm TL (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 3 years
Environment:  reef-associated; marine; depth range 0 - 170 m
Distribution:  Circumtropical. Indo-Pacific: East Africa (Ref. 3287) to Rapa, north to southern Japan and the Hawaiian Islands, south to New Caledonia. Eastern Pacific: Mexico to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands (Ref. 5530). Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia, Canada and Bermuda through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean to to São Paulo (Ref. 47377), Brazil. Eastern Atlantic: Cape Verde to southern Angola (Ref. 7097).
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 9-9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 24-27; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 21-23. Description: Dorsal very blue-green or metallic blue, ventral silver or white; stripe (may be absent) yellow from gill opening upper end to caudal peduncle upper part; opercle edge with black spot. Body elongate and compressed moderately; profile, dorsal less convex than ventral. Eyes very large, shorter than snout length; adipose eyelid very well developed, covers the eye almost entirely. LL curved part equal or slightly shorter than straight part 0.7 to 1.3 times; LL scales 48-56 on curved part, 0-11 on straight part; LL scutes 29 to 42, small. Cleithrum with furrow, deep, ventral; large papilla immediately about furrow, small papilla near dorsal edge. Pectoral fins falcate; anal fins first two spines detached. (Ref. 2334, 55763, 90102)
Biology:  Adults prefer clear oceanic waters around islands to neritic waters (Ref. 5217). Occasionally in turbid waters (Ref. 9283). Pelagic (Ref. 58302). Individuals travel in compact groups of hundreds of thousands of fish. Mainly nocturnal in habit, they disperse at night to feed on small shrimps, benthic invertebrates, and forams when inshore, and zooplankton and fish larvae when offshore (Ref. 9283, 90102). Marketed fresh and salted or dried (Ref. 9283). Reported to reach 70 cm TL (Ref. 48635).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 07 November 2013 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  reports of ciguatera poisoning


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