
Family | Scientific Name | Author | Year | Common Name |
Scombridae | Scomber scombrus | Linnaeus | 1758 | Atlantic Mackerel |
Scomber scombrus
Unique Characters: Atlantic Mackerel Scomber scombrus. Two small keels on either side of caudal peduncle. 5 dorsal and 5 anal finlets. Adipose eyelids cover front and rear of eye. Iridescent dark blue dorsally, becoming greenish to about midline; silvery below. Upper sides with many oblique wavy lines. A broken dark stripe usually present along midline. Eyes comparatively small. Dorsal fins separated by a distance greater than the length of the first dorsal fin.
Similar Species: All other Scombrids, except Scomber colias, Atlantic Chub Mackerel, have two small keels and a large median keel between them on either side of caudal peduncle. 7-10 dorsal and 7-10 anal finlets. Adipose eyelids absent.
Atlantic Chub Mackerel. Scomber colias. Two small keels on either side of caudal peduncle. 5 dorsal and 5 anal finlets. Adipose eyelids cover front and rear of eye. Blue dorsally, fading to silvery below. Back and upper sides with many oblique, faint to dark wavy lines; lines break into dusky spots around midline. Eyes comparatively large. Dorsal fins separated by distance about equal to dorsal-fin base.
Gallery