The koheru (''Decapterus koheru'') is a

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

of the genus ''

Decapterus ''Decapterus'' is a genus of marine fishes of jack family, Carangidae, commonly known as mackerel scads, round scads, or horse mackerel. They are found throughout the world. Species Currently, 10 or 12 recognized species are found in this genus: ...

'', part of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Carangidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to New Zealand where it occurs from Three Kings Island to southern

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

. This is a schooling,

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or wa ...

species of coastal waters where it is found within shallow bays, harbours, estuaries and near rocky reefs and offshore islands at depths of between . Juveniles prefer rocky inshore areas, while adults are known to form dense schools in offshore waters. The maximum fork length is . They live to around 10 years and juveniles growth quickly, attaining a fork length of by the time they are three years old. They feed on

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

. It is a species of minor interest to commercial fisheries but is taken by recreational anglers.

References

* * * Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, ''Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand'', (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) *

Wade Doak Wade Thomas Doak (23 February 1940 – 12 September 2019) was a New Zealand marine conservationist, scuba diver, photographer and filmmaker. Born in Christchurch, Doak was educated at Christchurch Boys' High School from 1954 to 1958. He began d ...

, ''A Photographic Guide to Sea Fishes of New Zealand'', (New Holland Publishers (NZ) Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 2003) {{Taxonbar, from=Q2330358 Decapterus Endemic marine fish of New Zealand Fish of the North Island Fish described in 1875