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 confli ...

of ray-finned saltwater bony fishes 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 ...

, mackerels, and bonitos, 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 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 the appropriate s ...

across three genera. 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, 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 kn ...

* ''

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 (biology), tribe Scomberomorini, commonly known as the Spanish mackerels ...

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

Gaimard Joseph Paul Gaimard (31 January 1793 – 10 December 1858) was a French naval surgeon and naturalist. Biography Gaimard was born at Saint-Zacharie on January 31, 1793. He studied medicine at the naval medical school in Toulon, subsequent ...

, 1825),

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

** '' 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: * ...

'' ( 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'' ( Cuvier, 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, 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 ** '' S. guttatus'' ( Bloch & Schneider, 1801), Indo-Pacific king mackerel ** '' S. koreanus'' (

Kishinouye was a Japanese 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 expedition to China ...

, 1915), Korean seerfish ** '' S. lineolatus'' ( Cuvier, 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. ...

** '' 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 Endemism, endemic to the Gulf of Papua off the mouth of the Fly River. It is the smallest species ...

** '' 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&nb ...

** '' S. niphonius'' ( Cuvier, 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 i ...

** '' 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 ** '' S. regalis'' ( Bloch, 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 Rive ...

& Starks, 1895, Pacific sierra ** '' S. sinensis'' ( Lacépède, 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'' ( Cuvier, 1832), West African Spanish mackerel

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 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

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