Body elliptical and strongly compressed, body depth 2.4 in SL; ventral contour of body convex. Posterior edge of upper jaw reaching to below anterior margin of eye. Eye small with a weak adipose eyelid. Teeh on both jaws small; upper jaw teeth arranged in a single row and lower jaw teeth irregularly arranged in two rows. Straight part of lateral line with 11 weak scutes. Pectoral fin falcate, longer than head. Body covered with small cycloid scales. Spines of first dorsal fin shorter than anterior rays of soft dorsal fin. Caudal fin deeply forked, upper lobe longer than lower. Body greenish blue dorsally, silver-white ventrally. A black blotch on upper posterior margin of opercle. A prominent black spot on dorsal part of caudal peduncle. Edge of dorsal fin dusky; pectoral and caudal fins pale yellow; other fins pale.
Distribution:
From Massachusetts and Bermuda to Brazil.
Remarks:
This species resembles Hemicaranx amblyrhynchus but is separable from it by 8 spines in the first dorsal fin and a prominent black spot on the caudal peduncle. (Matsuura)