Sauries are fish of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Scomberesocidae. There are two

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

, each containing two species. The name ''Scomberesocidae'' is derived from '' scomber'' (which in turn is derived from the Greek ''skombros'', meaning ' mackerel') and the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''esox'' meaning pike. Sauries are marine epipelagic fish which live in tropical and temperate waters. These fish often jump while swimming near the surface, skimming the water, which is similar to flying fish, a fellow member of the order

Beloniformes Beloniformes is an order composed of six families (and about 264 species) of freshwater and marine ray-finned fish: * Adrianichthyidae (ricefish and medakas) * Belonidae (needlefish) * Exocoetidae (flyingfishes) * Hemiramphidae (halfb ...

. The jaws of sauries are beak-like, ranging from long, slender beaks to relatively short ones with the lower jaw only slightly elongated. The mouth openings of sauries, however, are small and the jaws have weak teeth. The most distinctive feature of sauries, however, is the presence of a row of small finlets behind the

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

and

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

s. They also lack swim bladders. Sauries grow to a maximum length of about , but the group also includes the smallest of all epipelagic fish, ''

Cololabis adocetus The saury (''Cololabis adocetus'') is a species of fish that is a member of the family Scomberesocidae, or the saury family. It is widespread in the Eastern Pacific in the surface waters, typically remaining in the top 50 centimeters of the wate ...

'', with an adult length of just . They are harvested commercially as a food fish;

Pacific saury The Pacific saury (''Cololabis saira'') is species of fish in the family Scomberesocidae. Saury is a seafood in several East Asian cuisines and is also known by the name mackerel pike. Biology Saury is a fish with a small mouth, an elongat ...

are consumed often in Japanese and

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine is the set of foods and culinary styles which are associated with Korean culture. This cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient Prehistoric Korea, agricultural and nomad ...

. The fish is usually grilled. The ''Saury'', a ''Sargo''-class

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

, was the only ship of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

to be named for this fish.

Genera

There are two recognised genera within the family Scomberesocidae: *''

Cololabis ''Cololabis'' is a genus of sauries found in the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean. The name is derived from the Greek word ''kolos'', meaning 'short', and the Latin word ''labis'', meaning ' forceps', referring to the short beak of the type s ...

Gill A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow r ...

, 1896 *''

Scomberesox ''Scomberesox'' is a genus of sauries. It is one of two in the family Scomberesocidae. The generic name ''Scomberesox'' is a compound of ''scomber'' (which is derived from the Greek ''skombros'', meaning ' mackerel') and the Latin Latin ...

'' Lacepède, 1803 A potential extinct genus, '' Praescomberesox'', is known by fossil scales from the

Late Eocene The Priabonian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS's geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age or the upper stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Eocene epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), Series. It spans ...

of California.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1342872 Percomorpha families

Genera

See also

References