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Scomber australasicus Cuvier, 1832
BLUE MACKEREL
Common Mackerel; English Mackerel; Pacific Mackerel; School Mackerel; Slimies; Slimy Mackerel; Spotted Chub Mackerel; Pneumatophorus australasicus Cuvier, 1832; Scomber japonicus Houttuyn, 1782; Scomber antarcticus Castelnau, 1872

Life   Vertebrata   Fish   Scombridae   Scomber



Scomber australasicus
www.fao.org Copyright Michel Lamboeuf · 0
Scomber australasicus

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Scomber australasicus
© Copyright John Rangall, 2006 · 0
Scomber australasicus

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IDnature guides
Overview
Main identification features
  • 1st dorsal fin : x-xiii
  • back - zigzag lines
  • flank and belly: lines of spots
Elongate, rounded; two small keels on each side of the base of the tail; 2 well separated dorsal fins with 5 finlets after second dorsal and anal fins; pectoral fins high; tail deeply forked, base slender; adipose eyelid equally covering front and rear of eye; lateral line simple; palatines narrow, with 1-2 rows of teeth; first dorsal with X-XIII spines; distance between 10th dorsal spine and origin of second dorsal fin greater than length of base of first dorsal fin.

Blue-grey upper body; zigzag lines along all of back and upper tail base, belly pearly white with thin undulating, discontinuous spotted lines.

Size: 42 cm.

Habitat: epipelagic, coastal.

Depth: 0-300 m.

An Indo-Pacific species; perhaps resident in the Revillagigedos.


Attributes

Abundance: Common.

Cites: Not listed.

Climate Zone: Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos).

Depth Range Max: 300 m.

Depth Range Min: 0 m.

Diet: Pelagic crustacea; octopus/squid/cuttlefish; bony fishes; zooplankton; pelagic fish larvae; pelagic fish eggs.

Eastern Pacific Range: Northern limit=20; Southern limit=19; Western limit=-115; Eastern limit=-111; Latitudinal range=1; Longitudinal range=4.

Egg Type: Pelagic; Pelagic larva.

Feeding Group: Carnivore; Planktivore.

FishBase Habitat: Pelagic.

Global Endemism: All Pacific (West + Central + East); Indo-Pacific only (Indian + Pacific Oceans); TEP non-endemic; "Transpacific" (East + Central &/or West Pacific); All species.

Habitat: Water column.

Inshore Offshore: Offshore; Offshore Only.

IUCN Red List: Not evaluated / Listed.

Length Max: 42 cm.

Regional Endemism: Island (s) only; Island (s); Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic; Eastern Pacific non-endemic; All species.

Residency: Resident.

Salinity: Marine; Marine Only.

Water Column Position: Mid Water; Near Surface; Surface; Water column only;

Names
Scientific source:
Links to other sites


References
  • Castro-Aguirre, J.L. and Balart, E.F., 2002., La ictiofauna de las islas Revillagigedos y sus relaciones zoogeograficas, con comentarios acerca de su origen y evolucion. En: Lozano-Vilano, M. L. (Ed.). Libro Jubilar en Honor al Dr. Salvador Contreras Balderas., Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo León:153-170.
  • Collette , B. B. and Nauen, C. E., 1983., Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of tunas, mackerels, bonitos and related species known to date. FAO species catalogue Vol. 2., FAO Fish. Synop. No 125, 125.
  • Collette, B.B., 1999., Mackerels, molecular, and morphology. In Proc. 5th Indo-Pac. Fish. Conf. Nouméa, 1977. Séret B. & J. Sire. Eds., Soc. Fr. Ichtyol.:149-164.
  • Collette, B.B., Reeb, C. and Block, B.A., 2001., Systematics of the tunas and mackerels (Scombridae)., Fish Physiology, 19:1-33.
  • Cuvier , G. and Valenciennes, A., 1832., Histoire naturelle des poissons. Tome huitième. Livre neuvième. Des Scombéroïdes., Histoire Naturelle Des Poissons, 8:1-509.
  • Fischer , W. , Krup , F. , Schneider , W. , Sommer , C. , Carpenter , K. E. and Niem, V. H., 1995., Guia FAO para la Identificacion de Especies de para los fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Centro-Oriental. Volumen III. Vertebrados - Parte 2., FAO3:1201-1813.
  • Joseph , J. , Klawe , W. and Murphy, P., 1988., Tuna and Billfish - fish without a country., Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission:69.
  • Walker, B. W. and Baldwin, W. J., 1964., Provisional check list of fishes of the Revillagigedo islands., 18 pp.


Acknowledgements

I thank Ashley MacDonald and John Pickering, University of Georgia, for technical support in building this page.


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