Cavalla
| Cavalla | ||||||||||||
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Cavalla ( Caranx hippos ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Caranx hippos | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1766) |
The cavalla or horse mackerel ( Caranx hippos ) is a fish from the family of jacks (Carangidae). The fish are found in the tropical and subtropical western Atlantic from the coast of Nova Scotia , across the northern Gulf of Mexico to Uruguay . They are missing in the eastern Lesser Antilles . In the eastern Atlantic, the distribution area extends from the coast of Portugal to Angola and also includes the western Mediterranean . Reports of occurrence in the Indian Ocean are based on confusion with Caranx ignobilis . The similar mackerel from the Pacific belong to Caranx caninus of a possibly conspecific population.
features
The Cavalla is usually 75 cm long, with a maximum length of 124 cm. The head profile is steep, the chest is scaly, with the exception of a small, central area directly in front of the pelvic fins. Their color is olive to blue-green on the back and silvery on the sides and belly. There is a noticeable black spot on the upper gill cover and another on the base of the pectoral fin. The caudal fin is yellowish. The tips of the dorsal and caudal fin can be black. The dorsal and anal fins are initially elevated.
- Fin formula : Dorsal IX, 19–21, Anale III / 15–17.
Way of life
The horse mackerel lives at depths of one to 200 meters above the continental shelf . Young fish live in large, fast-moving schools and also go into river mouths, while older horse mackerels also live alone. It feeds on smaller fish, shrimp and other invertebrates. Captured horse mackerels often make grunting noises.
literature
- Erhardt / Moosleitner: Mergus Sea Water Atlas. Volume 2: Perciformes (perch-like). Mergus-Verlag, Melle 1997, ISBN 3-88244-112-7 .
Web links
- Caranx hippos on Fishbase.org (English)
- Ichthyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History
- Caranx caninus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Smith-Vaniz, B., Robertson, R., Bussing, W. & Molina, H., 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2014.