Atlantic Moonfish, Selene setapinnis
Atlantic Moonfish, Selene setapinnis, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Long Island, New York, October 2022. Length: 8.5 cm (3.3 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of James Lafontaine, Long Island, New York.
Atlantic Moonfish, Selene setapinnis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Pompano Beach, Florida, July 2016. Length: 15.2 cm (6.0 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com). Reported to be a finicky eater and most difficult to hook.
The Atlantic Moonfish has a strongly compressed rectangular-shaped body with a depth that is 46% to 52% of standard length. They are uniformly silverly or metallic blue in color with a yellowish caudal fin. The tip of the lower jaw is black, and they have a faint black spot on the edge of the gill cover and a narrow black area along the top of the caudal peduncle. Juveniles have an oval black spot over the straight part of the lateral line. Their head is moderately deep with a steep, slightly convex rounded forehead and snout profile. They have a blunt snout and a mouth that ends under the anterior margin of the eye with a short upper jaw and a longer protruding lower jaw and an oblique mouth that ends well before the large eyes equipped with small teeth set in narrow bands. Their anal fin has 2 standalone spines followed by 1 spine and 16 to 19 rays; their caudal fin has a large base and is deeply forked; their first dorsal fin has 8 spines and is only slightly elevated at the front; their second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 21 to 24 rays; their pectoral fins are curved and long; and, their pelvic fins are short. They have 7 to 10 gill rakers on the upper arch and 27 to 35 gill rakers on the lower arch. They have 7 to 11 very small scutes over the caudal peduncle. The body appears devoid of scales. Their lateral line is poorly developed.The Atlantic Moonfish, Selene setapinnis, is an exotic looking member of the Jack or Carangidae Family, that is known in Mexico as jorobado caballa and locally as pompano. Globally, there are nine species in the genus Selene, six of which are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and three in the Pacific Ocean.
The Atlantic Moonfish is a marine pelagic schooling species normally found inshore near the bottom at depths up to 110 m (360 feet). The juveniles are known to enter brackish water over muddy bottoms and school near the surface. They reach a maximum of 47 cm (19 inches) in length. They consume small fishes and crustaceans. The Atlantic Moonfish is a poorly studied species and very little is known about their behavioral patterns.
The Atlantic Moonfish is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.
The Atlantic Moonfish is somewhat similar to and can be confused with the Atlantic Bumper, Chloroscombrus chrysurus (tail base with a black blotch), the Lookdown, Selene vomer (forehead profile straight; elongated anal and dorsal lobes), and the Caribbean Moonfish, Selene brownie (deeper body depth, 61-66%; 31 to 34 gill rakers).
From a conservation perspective the Atlantic Moonfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are fished commercially in some parts of their range at a level of 2,000 tons per year, being caught with seines and trawls. They are considered a marginal human food fish by locals.