Selene setapinnis

Selene setapinnis
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Carangidae
Genus:	Selene
Species:	S. setapinnis
Binomial name
Selene setapinnis (Mitchill, 1815)

Selene setapinnis (Atlantic moonfish) is a West Atlantic fish belonging to the family Carangidae.

Description

The Atlantic moonfish is a slender, deep bodied fish that is extremely compressed. It has a dorsal fin with 8 spines, and an anal fin with 2 spines. They also have 21 dorsal soft rays and 17 anal soft rays. The upper jaw is short and lower jaw is protruding, extending longer than the upper jaw. They have a sloped, bent forehead and rather large eyes. They have a forked caudal fin that is attached to a large and hard caudal peduncle. The Atlantic moonfish have a faint spot on the base of their pectoral fins. They have a silvery or metallic blue color with a yellowish caudal fin. The dorsal and caudal peduncle regions are lined with a dark edging.

Diet

Adults feed on small fish and crustaceans.

Habitat

Atlantic moonfish can be found in schools at the bottoms of inshore waters. Juveniles can be found on muddy bottoms of brackish waters. Their depth range is 0-55m and they prefer subtropical regions.

Distribution

Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia, Canada, along coasts of Gulf of Mexico and South America, Argentina. Replaced by Selene dorsalis in eastern Atlantic.

Etymology

Selene: Greek, selene = moon

References

• “Atlantic Moonfish – Selene Setapinnis.” The Jump. The Jump. 2016. Web. 01 May 2017.
• “Atlantic Moonfish.” Virginia Institute of Marine Science. VIMS, 2017. Web. 01 May 2017.
• Cervigón, F., 1993. Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 2. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 497 p. (Ref. 9626)

• "Inland Fishes of New York State". C. Lavett Smith.