The

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. ...

tuna A tuna (: tunas or 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 bul ...

, and

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

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 ...

, Scombridae, includes many of the most important and familiar

food fish Many species of fish are caught by humans and consumed as food in virtually all regions around the world. Their meat has been an important dietary source of protein and other nutrients in the human diet. The English language does not have a s ...

es. The family consists of 51 species in 15 genera and two subfamilies. All species are in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Scombrinae, except the butterfly kingfish, which is the sole member of subfamily Gasterochismatinae. Scombrids have two

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...

s and a series of

finlet 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 only b ...

s behind the rear dorsal fin 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 ...

. The

caudal 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 only ...

is strongly divided and rigid, with a slender, ridged base. The first (spiny) dorsal fin and the

pelvic The pelvis (: pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of an anatomical trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis or pelvic skeleton). ...

fins are normally retracted into body grooves. Species lengths vary from the of the island mackerel to the recorded for the immense

Atlantic bluefin tuna The Atlantic bluefin tuna (''Thunnus thynnus'') is a species of tuna in the family Scombridae. It is variously known as the northern bluefin tuna (mainly when including Pacific bluefin as a subspecies), giant bluefin tuna (for individuals excee ...

. Scombrids are generally predators of the open ocean, and are found worldwide in tropical and temperate waters. They are capable of considerable speed, due to a highly streamlined body and retractable fins. Some members of the family, in particular the tunas, are notable for being partially

endothermic An endothermic process is a chemical or physical process that absorbs heat from its surroundings. In terms of thermodynamics, it is a thermodynamic process with an increase in the enthalpy (or internal energy ) of the system.Oxtoby, D. W; Gillis, ...

(warm-blooded), a feature that also helps them to maintain high speed and activity. Other adaptations include a large amount of red muscle, allowing them to maintain activity over long periods. Scombrids like the

yellowfin tuna The yellowfin tuna (''Thunnus albacares'') is a species of tuna found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide. Yellowfin is often marketed as ahi, from the Hawaiian , a name also used there for the closely related bigeye ...

can reach speeds of 22 km/h (14 mph).

Classification

Jordan, Evermann, and Clark (1930) divide these fishes into the four families: Cybiidae, Katsuwonidae, Scombridae, and Thunnidae, but

taxonomist In biology, taxonomy () is the science, scientific study of naming, defining (Circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxon, taxa (si ...

s later classified them all into a single family, the Scombridae. The

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the ...

and the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity and organization devoted to the worldwide animal conservation, conservation of animals and their habitat conservation, habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained London Zo ...

jointly issued their "Living Blue Planet Report" on 16 September 2015 which states that a dramatic fall of 74% occurred in worldwide stocks of scombridae fish between 1970 and 2010, and the global overall "population sizes of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish fell by half on average in just 40 years".

Extant genera

The 51 extant species are in 15 genera and two subfamilies – with the subfamily Scombrinae further grouped into four

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

s, as: ;Family Scombridae * Subfamily Gasterochismatinae ** Genus '' Gasterochisma'' * Subfamily Scombrinae ** Tribe Scombrini –

s *** Genus ''

Rastrelliger ''Rastrelliger'' is a mackerel genus in the family Scombridae. The three species of ''Rastrelliger'' together with the four species of ''Scomber'' comprise the tribe (biology), tribe Scombrini, known as the "true mackerels". Species The three s ...

'' *** Genus ''

Scomber ''Scomber'' is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Scombridae living in the open ocean found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. The genus ''Scomber'' and the genus ''Rastrelliger'' comprise the tribe Scombrini, known as the "true mack ...

'' ** Tribe

Scomberomorini Scomberomorini is a tribe of ray-finned, saltwater, bony fishes that is commonly known as Spanish mackerels, seerfishes, or seer fish. This tribe is a subset of the mackerel family (Scombridae), which it shares with four sister tribes, the tu ...

–

Spanish mackerel Scomberomorini is a tribe of ray-finned, saltwater, bony fishes that is commonly known as Spanish mackerels, seerfishes, or seer fish. This tribe is a subset of the mackerel family (Scombridae), which it shares with four sister tribes, the tu ...

s *** Genus ''

Acanthocybium The wahoo (''Acanthocybium solandri'') is a Scombridae, scombrid fish found Cosmopolitan distribution, worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. In Hawaii, the wahoo is known as ono. The species is sometimes called hoo in the United States. It ...

'' *** Genus ''

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 seerfish ...

'' *** Genus '' Orcynopsis'' *** Genus ''

Scomberomorus ''Scomberomorus'' is a genus of ray-finned bony fish in the mackerel family, Scombridae. More specifically, it is a member of the tribe (biology), tribe Scomberomorini, commonly known as the Spanish mackerels. Species ''Scomberomorus'' includes ...

'' ** Tribe Sardini –

s *** Genus '' Sarda'' *** Genus '' Cybiosarda'' *** Genus '' Gymnosarda'' ** Tribe Thunnini –

s *** Genus '' Allothunnus'' *** Genus '' Auxis'' *** Genus '' Euthynnus'' *** Genus ''

Katsuwonus The skipjack tuna (''Katsuwonus pelamis'') is a perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae, and is the only member of the genus ''Katsuwonus''. It is also known as katsuo, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna or victor fish. ...

'' *** Genus ''

Thunnus ''Thunnus'' is a genus of ocean-dwelling, ray-finned bony fish from the mackerel family, Scombridae. More specifically, ''Thunnus'' is one of five genera which make up the tribe Thunnini – a tribe that is collectively known as the tunas. Al ...

Fossil genera

The following fossil genera are known: *Genus †'' Aramichthys'' (fossil;

middle Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''Ēṓs'', ' Dawn') a ...

of Syria) *Genus †'' Eoscomber'' (fossil;

early Eocene In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age (geology), age or lowest stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by th ...

of Senegal) * Genus †'' Eoscombrus'' (fossil; late Eocene of California) * Genus †'' Godsilia'' (fossil; early Eocene of Italy) * Genus †'' Landanichthys'' (fossil; middle Paleocene of Angola) * Genus †'' Palaeocybium'' (fossil; Eocene to Oligocene of the United States and parts of Europe) * Genus †'' Pseudauxides'' (fossil; early Eocene of Italy) * Genus †'' Scombrinus'' (fossil; early Eocene of England) * Genus †'' Thunnoscomberoides'' (fossil; early Eocene of Italy) * Genus †'' Wetherellus'' (fossil; early Eocene of England) * Subfamily Scombrinae ** Genus †'' Tamesichthys'' (early Eocene of England) ** Genus †'' Mioscomber'' (middle Miocene of the

North Caucasus The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is a subregion in Eastern Europe governed by Russia. It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which separates Europe and Asia. The North Caucasus is bordered by the Sea of Azov and the B ...

(Russia) and Croatia) ** Tribe † Eocoelopomini *** Genus †'' Eocoelopoma'' (early Eocene of England &

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

) *** Genus †'' Palaeothunnus'' (early Eocene of Turkmenistan) *** Genus †'' Micrornatus'' (early Eocene of England) **Tribe

***Genus †'' Caucombrus'' (

Early Oligocene The Rupelian is, in the geologic timescale, the older of two age (geology), ages or the lower of two stage (stratigraphy), stages of the Oligocene epoch (geology), Epoch/series (stratigraphy), Series. It spans the time between . It is preceded b ...

of the North Caucasus (Russia) and Germany) ***Genus †'' Neocybium'' (Late Eocene of Kazakhstan, Early Oligocene of Germany & Georgia) **Tribe Scombrini ***Genus †'' Auxides'' (early Eocene of Senegal, Turkmenistan, and much of Europe) (=''Scombrosarda'')

References

External links

* * Skaphandrus.co
Scombridae
{{Authority control Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque Percomorpha families

Classification

Extant genera

Fossil genera

See also

References

External links