Scomberomorini is a

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

ray-finned 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 ...

saltwater

bony fish Osteichthyes (), popularly referred to as the bony fish, is a diverse superclass of fish that have skeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. They can be contrasted with the Chondrichthyes, which have skeletons primarily composed of cartila ...

es that is commonly known as the Spanish mackerels, seerfishes or seer fish. This fish closely resembles the

King Mackerel The king mackerel (''Scomberomorus cavalla'') or kingfish, is a migratory species of mackerel of the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. It is an important species to both the commercial and recreational fishing industries. Description Th ...

. This tribe is a subset of the mackerel family (Scombridae) – a family that it shares with three sister tribes, the

tunas A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: ...

mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...

s, and

bonito Bonitos are a tribe of medium-sized, ray-finned predatory fish in the family Scombridae – a family it shares with the mackerel, tuna, and Spanish mackerel tribes, and also the butterfly kingfish. Also called the tribe Sardini, it consists ...

s, and the

butterfly kingfish The butterfly kingfish (''Gasterochisma melampus'') is an ocean-dwelling ray-finned bony fish in the mackerel family, Scombridae – a family which it shares with the tunas, mackerels, Spanish mackerels, and bonitos. Unlike the 50 species from th ...

. Scomberomorini comprises 21

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

across three

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial ...

. They are

pelagic fish Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore—in contrast with demersal fish that do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral re ...

, fast swimmers and predatory in nature, that fight vigorously when caught. Seer fishes are mainly caught using hooks and lines.

Taxonomy

The following

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to ...

shows the most likely evolutionary relationships between the Spanish mackerels and the tunas, mackerels, bonitos, and the butterfly kingfish.

This tribe comprises 21 species in three genera: * ''

Acanthocybium Wahoo (''Acanthocybium solandri'') is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. It is best known to sports fishermen, as its speed and high-quality flesh makes it a prized and valued game fish. In Hawaii, the wahoo is kno ...

'' (Gill, 1862) ** '' A. solandri'' (

Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...

, 1832),

wahoo Wahoo (''Acanthocybium solandri'') is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. It is best known to sports fishermen, as its speed and high-quality flesh makes it a prized and valued game fish. In Hawaii, the wahoo is kno ...

* ''

Grammatorcynus ''Grammatorcynus'' is a genus of ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae. This genus together with '' Acanthocybium'' and ''Scomberomorus'' are comprised by the tribe Scomberomorini, commonly known as the Spanish mackerels or seerfishes. ...

'' (Gill, 1862) ** '' G. bicarinatus'' ( Quoy &

Gaimard Joseph Paul Gaimard (31 January 1793 – 10 December 1858) was a French naval surgeon A naval surgeon, or less commonly ship's doctor, is the person responsible for the health of the ship's company aboard a warship. The term appears often ...

, 1825),

shark mackerel The shark mackerel (''Grammatorcynus bicarinatus'') is a species of Spanish mackerel (tribe (biology), tribe Scomberomorini) in the scombrid family (Scombridae). Their maximum reported length is , and the maximum reported weight is . This specie ...

** '' G. bilineatus'' ( Rüppell, 1836),

double-lined mackerel The double-lined mackerel (''Grammatorcynus bilineatus''), is a species of Spanish mackerel (tribe Scomberomorini) in the family Scombridae. This species is sometimes also called the scad mackerel. Distribution and habitat This species is prese ...

* ''

Scomberomorus ''Scomberomorus'' is a genus of ray-finned bony fish in the mackerel family, Scombridae. More specifically, it is a member of the tribe Scomberomorini, commonly known as the Spanish mackerels. Species ''Scomberomorus'' includes 18 species: * S ...

'' ( Lacepède, 1801) ** '' S. brasiliensis'' Collette, Russo & Zavala-Camin, 1978,

Serra Spanish mackerel The Serra Spanish mackerel (''Scomberomorus brasiliensis'') is a species of fish in the family Scombridae. Specimens have been recorded at up to 125 cm in length, and weighing up to 6.71 kg. It is found in the western Atlantic, along th ...

** '' S. cavalla'' (

, 1829),

king mackerel The king mackerel (''Scomberomorus cavalla'') or kingfish, is a migratory species of mackerel of the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. It is an important species to both the commercial and recreational fishing industries. Description Th ...

** '' S. commerson'' (

Lacépède Lacepede can refer to: * Bernard Germain de Lacépède (1756–1825), French naturalist and politician. * Lacepede Bay, a bay in South Australia. * Lacépède, Lot-et-Garonne, a ''commune'' in France * Lacepede Islands, a group of four islands in ...

, 1800),

narrow-barred Spanish mackerel The narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (''Scomberomorus commerson'') is a mackerel of the family Scombridae found in a wide-ranging area in Southeast Asia, but as far west as the east coast of Africa and from the Middle East and along the northern coa ...

** '' S. concolor'' ( Lockington, 1879),

Monterrey Spanish mackerel The Monterrey Spanish mackerel (''Scomberomorus concolor'') is a species of fish in the family Scombridae. It is Endemism, endemic to Mexico where it is found in the northern part of the Gulf of California. It is the subject of a fishery, its pop ...

** '' S. guttatus'' (

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A–F * (1859-1914), French rabbi * Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881-1925), Austrian entrepreneur * Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter * (born 1972), German motor jour ...

Schneider Schneider may refer to: Hospital * Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel People *Schneider (surname) Companies and organizations * G. Schneider & Sohn, a Bavarian brewery company * Schneider Rundfunkwerke AG, the former owner of the D ...

, 1801),

Indo-Pacific king mackerel Indo-Pacific king mackerel or popularly (spotted) seer fish (''Scomberomorus guttatus'') is a sea fish among the mackerel variety of fishes. It is found in around the Indian Ocean and adjoining seas. It is a popular game fish, growing up to 45&nb ...

** '' S. koreanus'' (

Kishinouye was a Japanese Marine biologist, fisheries biologist and cnidariologist and a professor of the Imperial University of Tokyo (Faculty of Agriculture) between 1908 and 1928. Kishinouye died in Chengtu of a sudden illness while on a collecting expe ...

, 1915),

Korean seerfish The Korean mackerel (''Scomberomorus koreanus'') also known as the Korean seerfish, is a ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, better known as the mackerel family. More specifically, this fish is a member of the tribe Scomberomorini, the ...

** '' S. lineolatus'' (

, 1829),

streaked seerfish The streaked Spanish mackerel (''Scomberomorus lineolatus'') is found mainly in and around India, especially along the Maharashtra and Gujarat coasts. The peak season for fishing this fish is from October to December. It is also known by other na ...

** '' S. maculatus'' ( Mitchill, 1815),

Atlantic Spanish mackerel The Atlantic Spanish mackerel (''Scomberomorus maculatus'') is a migratory species of mackerels that swims to the Northern Gulf of Mexico in spring, returns to south Florida in the Eastern Gulf, and to Mexico in the Western Gulf in the fall. Des ...

** '' S. multiradiatus'' Munro, 1964,

Papuan seerfish The Papuan seerfish (''Scomberomorus multiradiatus'') also called the Papuan Spanish mackerel, is a species of fish in the family Scombridae. It is endemic to the Gulf of Papua off the mouth of the Fly River. It is the smallest species in the ge ...

** '' S. munroi'' Collette & Russo, 1980,

Australian spotted mackerel The Australian spotted mackerel (''Scomberomorus munroi'') is a species of fish in the family Scombridae. Common fork length ranges between 50 and 80 cm. Specimens have been recorded at up to 104 cm in length, and weighing up to 10.2&n ...

** '' S. niphonius'' (

, 1832),

Japanese Spanish mackerel The Japanese Spanish mackerel (''Scomberomorus niphonius''), also known as the Japanese seer fish, is a species of true mackerel in the scombrid family (Scombridae). Their maximum reported length is 100 cm, and the maximum reported weight is ...

** '' S. plurilineatus'' Fourmanoir, 1966,

Kanadi kingfish The Kanadi kingfish (''Scomberomorus plurilineatus'') is a species of ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, the mackerel family. Also known as the Kanadi seerfish, queen mackerel, or spotted mackerel, it is found in subtropical waters of ...

** '' S. queenslandicus'' Munro, 1943,

Queensland school mackerel The Queensland school mackerel (''Scomberomorus queenslandicus'') is a species of fish in the family Scombridae. It is found in tropical waters of the western Pacific, largely confined to inshore coastal waters of southern Papua New Guinea and nor ...

** '' S. regalis'' (

, 1793),

Cero mackerel The cero (''Scomberomorus regalis''), also known as the pintado, kingfish,Free Dictionary online
(retrieved 18 Sept ...

** '' S. semifasciatus'' ( Macleay, 1883), broadbarred king mackerel ** '' S. sierra''

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Ri ...

& Starks, 1895,

Pacific sierra The Pacific sierra (''Scomberomorus sierra'') also known as the Mexican sierra, is a ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, better known as the mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic ...

** '' S. sinensis'' (

, 1800),

Chinese seerfish The Chinese mackerel (''Scomberomorus sinensis''), also known as the Chinese seerfish, is a ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, better known as the mackerel family. More specifically, this fish is a member of the tribe (biology), tribe ...

** '' S. tritor'' (

, 1832),

West African Spanish mackerel The West African Spanish mackerel (''Scomberomorus tritor'') is a species of fish in the family Scombridae. Specimens have been recorded at up to 100 cm in length, and weighing up to 6 kg. Coloration is bluish-green on the back fading t ...

India

Spanish mackerel is very much liked for its delicacy in various regions of South India and Sri Lanka. In Tamil Nadu, this fish is called "Vanjaram" and is usually the most expensive fish available. In Kerala, it is called "Neymeen". It is called "Aiykoora" in northern Kerala and south coastal Karnataka. In Sri Lanka, it is known as "thora". Seerfishes are also referred to as "king mackerels" in some areas. They have very sharp teeth and are handled with care by fishers familiar with them. Seerfish is one of the more popular in this group for eating. Seerfishes are notorious for their histamine poisoning. It can be fried, grilled, and steamed. It is gaining popularity in the South Pacific and

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

as a canned product. Also known as: *Tamil - Vanjaram,seela *Telugu - Vanjaram Chepa *Kannada - Anjal, Konema, Kalagnani, Surmai *Malayalam - Neymeen, Aiykoora *Sinhala - Thora *Marathi - Surmai

References

Scombridae {{Scombroidei-stub

Taxonomy

India

See also

References