Scomber colias
Atlantic Chub Mackerel
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Scombridae (Mackerels)
Scomber
Scomber colias (Atlantic Chub Mackerel)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
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Characters
Adipose eyelids; widely separated dorsal fins; body covered with scales; snout pointed and slightly longer than eye diameter; maxilla extends below eye; jaw teeth small, conical, and arranged in a single series; palatine has one or two rows of conical teeth; vomer has one row of teeth; gill rakers on first arch number 29 to 51; pectoral fin short with 19 or 21 rays; first dorsal fin originates behind pectoral fin base, triangular, with 9 or 10 spines; second dorsal fin has 11 or 12 rays and is followed by five finlets; interpelvic process unilobed and small; anal fin similar in shape and size to second dorsal fin, originates slightly posterior to second dorsal fin origin, has 1 small separate spine and 12 rays, and is followed by five finlets; caudal peduncle very slender and lacks lateral keel between upper and lower oblique keels; caudal fin strongly forked; body completely covered with scales, with those on head and around pectoral fin larger than remainder, and corselet of scales absent; lateral line single and slightly arched anteriorly; gas bladder present; vertebrae number 31: 14 precaudal and 17 caudal.
Bluish to greenish dorsally with oblique zigzag and undulating lines; silvery white ventrally; lines break into series of dusky spots near lateral line.
Distribution
Gulf of St. Lawrence and Bermuda to the northern Gulf of Mexico and Cuba and off Venezuela and southern Brazil.
Northern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical to boreal Atlantic Ocean in coastal waters to 300 m.
Biology
Copepods, crustaceans, and ray-finned fishes.
Maximum known size is 50 cm FL.
Spawning occurs between 15°C and 20°C.
Adults and juveniles feed mainly on zooplankton, with relative importance of larger organisms such as cephalopods, crustaceans and small pelagic fish increases with the size of individuals. Caught mostly in purse seine and pelagic trawl fisheries which target sardine and/or anchovy. Usually a by-catch but when availability of target species is low, this species provided an alternative income (Ref. 121850)
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2022-06-01. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial.
References
Bigelow and Schroeder 1953
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Collette 1986b
Collette 2002g
Collette and Nauen 1983
Fujii 1983g
Collette et al. 1984
Robins and Ray 1986
Scott and Scott 1988
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Costa, F. (1991) Atlante dei pesci dei mari italiani. Gruppo Ugo Mursia Editore S.p.A. Milano, Italy. 438 p.
Collette, B.B. (1999) Mackerels, molecules, and morphology. p. 149-164. In B. Séret and J.-Y. Sire (eds.) Proc. 5th Indo-Pac. Fish Conf., Noumea, Paris.
Collette, B.B. (2003) Scombridae. Mackerels and tunas. p. 1836-1857. In K.E. Carpenter (ed.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae), sea turtles and marine mammals.
Martins, M.M., D. Skagen, V. Marques, J. Zwolinski and A. Silva (2013) Changes in the abundance and spatial distribution of the Atlantic chub mackerel (Scomber colias) in the pelagic ecosystem and fisheries off Portugal. Scientia Marina 77(4):551-563. DOI: 10.3989/scimar.03861.07B
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