Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel

📖 Overview

A pelagic fish, inhabiting near edge of continental shelf to shallow coastal waters, often of low salinity and high turbidity ; also found in drop-offs, and shallow or gently sloping reef and lagoon waters . Feed primarily on small fishes like anchovies, clupeids, carangids, also squids and penaeoid shrimps. Usually hunts solitary and often swim in shallow water along coastal slopes . Eggs and larvae are pelagic . Caught mainly with drift gill nets, bamboo stake traps, midwater trawls, and by trolling. Marketed mainly fresh; also dried-salted; commonly made into fish balls , frozen, smoked, and canned . A lipid-soluble toxin, similar to ciguatoxin has been found in the flesh of specimens caught on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. Known to undertake lengthy long-shore migrations, but permanent resident populations also seem to exist.

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 15 - 18; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15 - 20; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 16 - 21; Vertebrae: 42 - 46. This species is distinguished by the following characters: body elongate (depth 4.8-5.6 in SL), moderately strongly compressed; upper jaw reaching to posterior margin of eye or slightly beyond; teeth in jaws strong and compressed; gill rakers of first gill arch 0-2 on upper limb and 1-8 on lower limb, total 1-8; 2 dorsal fins, D1 XV-XVIII and D2 15-20, followed by 8-11 finlets; anal fin originating below midpoint of second dorsal fin, with 16-21 soft rays, followed by 7-12 finlets; lateral line abruptly bent downward below end of second dorsal fin. Colour of back iridescent blue-grey, sides silver with bluish reflections, marked with numerous thin, wavy vertical bands; number of bars increases from as few as 20 in a 40 cm specimen to as many as 65 at 150 cm; juveniles frequently spotted . : fusiform / normal; Cross section: oval.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

Depending on temperature regime, the spawning season may be more or less extended. In Australian waters, each female spawns several times over the season, about 2 to 6 days apart , depending on the locality. Spanish mackerel spawn off the reef slopes and edges, and they form spawning aggregations in specific areas .

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; pelagic-neritic; oceanodromous ; depth range 10 - 70 m . Tropical; 39°N - 41°S, 7°W - 170°W Southeast Atlantic: St.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🎣 Angling Guide

📊 Population Dynamics

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Scientific Synonyms

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 21 records indexed .

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