Scomberomorini is a tribe of

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 cartilag ...

es that is commonly known as the Spanish mackerels, seerfishes or seer fish. This tribe is a subset of the mackerel family (Scombridae) – a family that it shares with three sister tribes, the tunas,

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 of ...

s, and the butterfly kingfish. Scomberomorini comprises 21 species 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 nomenclat ...

. They are pelagic fish, fast swimmers and predatory in nature, that fight vigorously when caught. They are mainly caught using hooks and lines.

Taxonomy

The following cladogram 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'' (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 * '' Grammatorcynus'' (Gill, 1862) ** '' G. bicarinatus'' ( Quoy & Gaimard, 1825), shark mackerel ** '' G. bilineatus'' ( Rüppell, 1836), double-lined mackerel * '' Scomberomorus'' ( Lacepède, 1801) ** '' S. brasiliensis'' Collette, Russo & Zavala-Camin, 1978, Serra Spanish mackerel ** '' S. cavalla'' (

, 1829), king mackerel ** '' 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 t ...

, 1800), narrow-barred Spanish mackerel ** '' S. concolor'' ( Lockington, 1879),

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

** '' 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 journal ...

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 th ...

, 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&n ...

** '' 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 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 ** '' S. multiradiatus'' Munro, 1964, Papuan seerfish ** '' S. munroi'' Collette & Russo, 1980, Australian spotted mackerel ** '' S. niphonius'' (

, 1832), Japanese Spanish mackerel ** '' S. plurilineatus'' Fourmanoir, 1966, Kanadi kingfish ** '' 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 ** '' S. semifasciatus'' ( Macleay, 1883),

broadbarred king mackerel The broadbarred king mackerel or grey mackerel (''Scomberomorus semifasciatus'') is a species of fish in the family Scombridae found in tropical waters of the western Pacific, along the northern coast of Australia and the southern coast of Papua N ...

** '' S. sierra'' Jordan & 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 family. More specifically, this fish is a member of the tribe Scomberomorini, the ...

** '' S. sinensis'' (

, 1800), Chinese seerfish ** '' 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 ...

In India

Spanish mackerel is very much liked for its delicacy in various regions of South India and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. In Andhra Pradesh and 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, Spanish mackerel 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 as a canned product. Throughout India, Spanish mackerel may be known as the following: *Tamil - Vanjaram, Seela *Telugu - Vanjaram Chepa *Kannada - Konema, Kalagnani, Surmai *Tulu - Anjal *Malayalam - Neymeen, Aiykoora *Sinhala (Sri Lanka) - Thora *Marathi - Surmai *Konkani - Iswon

References

Scombridae {{Scombroidei-stub

Taxonomy

In India

See also

References