Ken Schultz's Field Guide to Saltwater Fish - Macaw Pets store

A member of the Carangidae family of jacks, the lookdown
is so called because of its habit of hovering over the bottom
in a partly forward-tilted position, which makes it seem to
“look down.” The flesh of the lookdown has an excellent
flavor and is commercially marketed fresh.
Identification. Bright silver and iridescent, the lookdown
has a deep and extremely compressed body that may have
goldish, greenish, bluish, or purplish highlights. One of its
most striking features is the unusually high forehead, as well
as the low placement of the mouth on the face and the
high placement of the eyes. The first rays of the second dorsal
fin and the anal fin are long and streamerlike; in the dorsal
fin, they may extend to the tail, whereas in the anal fin
they do not extend as far. The lookdown may also have
three or four pale bars across the lower body. On young
fish, there are two very long, threadlike filaments that
extend from the dorsal fin.
Size. Ordinarily 6 to 10 inches long and weighing less than
a pound, the lookdown may reach 1 foot in length and
weigh 3 pounds. The all-tackle world record is a Brazilian
fish that weighed 4 pounds, 10 ounces.
Food. Lookdown feed on small crabs, shrimp, fish, and
worms.
Lookdown
Selene vomer
OTHER NAMES
Portuguese: galo de penacho,
peixe-galo; Spanish:
caracaballo, joro bado,
papelillo, pez luna.
Distribution. Endemic to
the western Atlantic, lookdown
are found from Maine
and possibly Nova Scotia
south to Uruguay, as well as
in Bermuda and the Gulf of
Mexico.
Habitat. Lookdown favor
shallow coastal waters at
depths of 2 to 30 feet, generally
over hard or sandy
bottoms around pilings and
bridges and often in murky
water. Occasionally occurring
in small schools, lookdown
hover over the
bottom. Small fish may be
found in estuaries.
Lookdown 119