The black jack is classified within the genus Caranx, one of a number of groups known as the jacks or trevallies.
Caranx itself is part of the larger jack and horse mackerel family Carangidae, which in turn is part of the order Carangiformes.

The taxonomic history of the black jack is quite complex, with the species first referred to in error as Scomber adscensionis (Osbeck, 1771), which was also used to describe what is now known as Pseudocaranx dentex.
Georges Cuvier resurrected this name when he described the species as Caranx ascensionis in 1833.
This was the first naming pertaining to the fish, and would normally have priority over any names assigned later.
However the species as it is currently known, was first scientifically described in 1860 by the Cuban zoologist Felipe Poey in his two volume work Historia Natural de la Isla de Cuba, or "Natural History of the Island of Cuba".
He assigned the species to the jack genera Caranx, and gave the Latin specific epithet of lugubris, meaning "mournful", or "pertaining to mourning".
Although the description was based on a fish from Cuba, no holotype is known for the species.
Poey initially described his species as different from Cuvier's C. ascensionis, however he later placed both C. lugubris and another species he had named, C. frontalis, in synonymy with C. ascensionis.
In later work, Poey again listed these three names as synonyms, but treated C. lugubris as valid, noting that Cuvier's name had also been used for Pseudocaranx dentex.
Most later taxonomic revisions supported Poey's judgement, with the name C. ascensionis often considered a junior secondary homonym.
William Smith-Vaniz and John Randall put forth a proposal to the ICZN in 1994 to formally instate C. lugubris as the species name, which was accepted in 1996.

The species common names all refer to the black hue displayed by the fish, with the name 'black jack' most commonly used.
Other names include 'black trevally', 'black kingfish', 'coal fish' and 'black ulua' in Hawaii.
The black jack is classified within the genus Caranx, one of a number of groups known as the jacks or trevallies. Caranx itself is part of the larger jack and horse mackerel family Carangidae, which in turn is part of the order Carangiformes.
The taxonomic history of the black jack is quite complex, with the species first referred to in error as Scomber adscensionis (Osbeck, 1771), which was also used to describe what is now known as Pseudocaranx dentex. Georges Cuvier resurrected this name when he described the species as Caranx ascensionis in 1833. This was the first naming pertaining to the fish, and would normally have priority over any names assigned later. However the species as it is currently known, was first scientifically described in 1860 by the Cuban zoologist Felipe Poey in his two volume work Historia Natural de la Isla de Cuba, or "Natural History of the Island of Cuba". He assigned the species to the jack genera Caranx, and gave the Latin specific epithet of lugubris, meaning "mournful", or "pertaining to mourning". Although the description was based on a fish from Cuba, no holotype is known for the species. Poey initially described his species as different from Cuvier's C. ascensionis, however he later placed both C. lugubris and another species he had named, C. frontalis, in synonymy with C. ascensionis. In later work, Poey again listed these three names as synonyms, but treated C. lugubris as valid, noting that Cuvier's name had also been used for Pseudocaranx dentex. Most later taxonomic revisions supported Poey's judgement, with the name C. ascensionis often considered a junior secondary homonym. William Smith-Vaniz and John Randall put forth a proposal to the ICZN in 1994 to formally instate C. lugubris as the species name, which was accepted in 1996.
The species common names all refer to the black hue displayed by the fish, with the name 'black jack' most commonly used. Other names include 'black trevally', 'black kingfish', 'coal fish' and 'black ulua' in Hawaii.
Caranx lugubris