51-539: A barracuda is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus Sphyraena , the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815. It is found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide ranging from the eastern border of the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea , on its western border
102-520: A diel vertical migration , staying in deeper water during the day and rising to the surface at night to feed. The young and juveniles also migrate vertically, but in the opposite direction, staying near the surface during the day and moving deeper at night. Mackerel are prolific broadcast spawners , and must breed near the surface of the water because the eggs of the females float. Individual females lay between 300,000 and 1,500,000 eggs. Their eggs and larvae are pelagic , that is, they float free in
153-737: A barracuda targets an intended prey item, its long tail and matching anal and dorsal fins enable it to move with swift bursts of speed to attack its prey before it can escape. Barracudas generally attack schools of fish, speeding at them head first and biting at them with their jaws. When barracudas age, they tend to swim alone. However, there are times when they tend to stay with the pack. Barracudas will sometimes swim in groups. In this case, they can relocate schools of fish into compact areas or lead them into shallow water to more easily feed on them. Some species of barracuda are reputed to be dangerous to swimmers. Barracudas are scavengers, and may mistake snorkelers for large predators, following them hoping to eat
204-459: A free-swimming larval stage. However other patterns of ontogeny exist, with one of the commonest being sequential hermaphroditism . In most cases this involves protogyny , fish starting life as females and converting to males at some stage, triggered by some internal or external factor. Protandry , where a fish converts from male to female, is much less common than protogyny. Most families use external rather than internal fertilization . Of
255-531: A row of darker cross-bars occur on each side. Their fins may be yellowish or dusky. Barracudas live primarily in oceans, but certain species, such as the great barracuda, live in brackish water . Due to similarities, sometimes Barracuda is compared with freshwater pike , though the major difference between the two is that Barracuda has two separate dorsal fins with a forked tail, unlike the freshwater pike. Some species grow quite large (up to 65 inches or 165 cm in length), such as Sphyraena sphyraena , found in
306-726: A trait still present in Holostei ( bowfins and gars ). In some fish like the arapaima , the swim bladder has been modified for breathing air again, and in other lineages it have been completely lost. The teleosts have urinary and reproductive tracts that are fully separated, while the Chondrostei have common urogenital ducts, and partially connected ducts are found in Cladistia and Holostei. Ray-finned fishes have many different types of scales ; but all teleosts have leptoid scales . The outer part of these scales fan out with bony ridges, while
357-549: 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. Mackerel species typically have deeply forked tails and vertical " tiger -like" stripes on their backs with an iridescent green-blue quality. Many are restricted in their distribution ranges and live in separate populations or fish stocks based on geography. Some stocks migrate in large schools along
408-409: Is an example of a larger mackerel. Most fish are cold-blooded , but exceptions exist. Certain species of fish maintain elevated body temperatures. Endothermic bony fishes are all in the suborder Scombroidei and include the butterfly mackerel , a species of primitive mackerel. Mackerel are strong swimmers. Known in the latin family as "punctualis piscis" which translates to "punctual fish." This
459-454: Is consumed worldwide. As an oily fish , it is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids . The flesh of mackerel spoils quickly, especially in the tropics, and can cause scombroid food poisoning . Accordingly, it should be eaten on the day of capture, unless properly refrigerated or cured . Mackerel preservation is not simple. Before the 19th-century development of canning and the widespread availability of refrigeration, salting and smoking were
510-588: Is divided equally between the Atlantic mackerel and all other scombroid mackerels. Just these two species (Chub mackerel and Atlantic mackerel) account for about 75% of the total catch of scombroid mackerels. Chilean jack mackerel are the most commonly fished nonscombroid mackerel, fished as heavily as chub mackerel. The species has been overfished , and its fishery may now be in danger of collapsing. Smaller mackerel behave like herrings , and are captured in similar ways. Fish species like these, which school near
561-540: Is divided into the infraclasses Holostei and Teleostei . During the Mesozoic ( Triassic , Jurassic , Cretaceous ) and Cenozoic the teleosts in particular diversified widely. As a result, 96% of living fish species are teleosts (40% of all fish species belong to the teleost subgroup Acanthomorpha ), while all other groups of actinopterygians represent depauperate lineages. The classification of ray-finned fishes can be summarized as follows: The cladogram below shows
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#1732851890372612-445: Is due to its punctuality of migration during mating season as it moves from warm to cold waters. Atlantic mackerel can swim at a sustained speed of 0.98 m/sec with a burst speed of 5.5 m/sec, while chub mackerel can swim at a sustained speed of 0.92 m/sec with a burst speed of 2.25 m/sec. Most mackerel species have restricted distribution ranges. Some mackerel species migrate vertically. Adult snake mackerel conduct
663-466: Is high in omega-3 oils and is intensively harvested by humans. In 2009, over 5 million tons were landed by commercial fishermen. Sport fishermen value the fighting abilities of the king mackerel . Over 30 different species, principally belonging to the family Scombridae , are commonly referred to as mackerel. The term "mackerel" is derived from Old French and may have originally meant either "marked, spotted" or "pimp, procurer". The latter connection
714-1271: Is known from the Miocene of Azerbaijan . Barracudas are ferocious, opportunistic predators , relying on surprise and short bursts of speed, up to 27 mph (43 km/h), to overtake their prey. Adults of most species are more or less solitary, while young and half-grown fish frequently congregate. Barracudas prey primarily on fish (which may include some as large as themselves). Common prey fish include jacks , grunts , groupers , snappers , small tunas , mullets , killifishes , herrings , and anchovies ; often by simply biting them in half. They kill and consume larger prey by tearing chunks out of their prey. They also seem to consume smaller species of sustenance that are in front of them. Barracuda species are often seen competing against mackerel , needle fish and sometimes even dolphins for prey. Barracudas are usually found swimming in saltwater searching for schools of plankton-feeding fish. Their silver and elongated bodies make them difficult for prey to detect, especially when viewed head-on. Barracudas depend heavily on their eyesight when they are out hunting. When hunting, they tend to notice everything that has an unusual color, reflection, or movement. Once
765-470: Is not altogether clear, but mackerel spawn enthusiastically in shoals near the coast, and medieval ideas on animal procreation were creative. About 21 species in the family Scombridae are commonly called mackerel. The type species for the scombroid mackerel is the Atlantic mackerel , Scomber scombrus . Until recently, Atlantic chub mackerel and Indo-Pacific chub mackerel were thought to be subspecies of
816-499: Is not the case, though, because mackerel live in midwater pelagic environments which have no background. However, fish have an optokinetic reflex in their visual systems that can be sensitive to moving stripes. For fish to school efficiently, they need feedback mechanisms that help them align themselves with adjacent fish, and match their speed. The stripes on neighbouring fish provide "schooling marks", which signal changes in relative position. A layer of thin, reflecting platelets
867-432: Is relatively rare and is found in about 6% of living teleost species; male care is far more common than female care. Male territoriality "preadapts" a species for evolving male parental care. There are a few examples of fish that self-fertilise. The mangrove rivulus is an amphibious, simultaneous hermaphrodite, producing both eggs and spawn and having internal fertilisation. This mode of reproduction may be related to
918-586: Is seen on some of the mackerel stripes. In 1998, E J Denton and D M Rowe argued that these platelets transmit additional information to other fish about how a given fish moves. As the orientation of the fish changes relative to another fish, the amount of light reflected to the second fish by this layer also changes. This sensitivity to orientation gives the mackerel "considerable advantages in being able to react quickly while schooling and feeding." Mackerel range in size from small forage fish to larger game fish . Coastal mackerel tend to be small. The king mackerel
969-412: Is set at the end of a stout peduncle . The pectoral fins are placed low on the sides. The swim bladder is large, allowing for minimal energy expenditure while cruising or remaining idle. In most cases, barracuda are dark gray, dark green, white, or blue on the upper body, with silvery sides and a chalky-white belly. Coloration varies somewhat between species. For some species, irregular black spots or
1020-791: The Caribbean Sea , and in tropical areas of the Pacific Ocean. Barracudas reside near the top of the water and near coral reefs and sea grasses. Barracudas are targeted by sport-fishing enthusiasts. The common name "barracuda" is derived from Spanish , with the original word being of possibly Cariban origin. Barracuda are snake -like in appearance, with prominent, sharp-edged, fang -like teeth, much like piranha , all of different sizes, set in sockets of their large jaws. They have large, pointed heads with an underbite in many species. Their gill covers have no spines and are covered with small scales . Their two dorsal fins are widely separated, with
1071-500: The Cyprinidae (in goldfish and common carp as recently as 14 million years ago). Ray-finned fish vary in size and shape, in their feeding specializations, and in the number and arrangement of their ray-fins. In nearly all ray-finned fish, the sexes are separate, and in most species the females spawn eggs that are fertilized externally, typically with the male inseminating the eggs after they are laid. Development then proceeds with
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#17328518903721122-522: The Gulf of Mexico , the Caribbean Sea , and the US Southeast Atlantic. Overfishing of king and Spanish mackerel occurred in the 1980s. Regulations were introduced to restrict the size, fishing locations, and bag limits for recreational fishers and commercial fishers. Gillnets were banned in waters off Florida. By 2001, the mackerel stocks had bounced back. Mackerel is an important food fish that
1173-900: The International Game Fish Association , said that the wound could have been caused by a houndfish . Fatalities are nevertheless rare. Deaths have been reported in 1947 in Florida, 1957 in North Carolina and 1960 in Florida, again. Barracudas are popular both as food and game fish . They are most often eaten as fillets or steaks. Larger species, such as the great barracuda , have been implicated in cases of ciguatera food poisoning. Those who have been diagnosed with this type of food poisoning display symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort, limb weakness, and an inability to differentiate hot from cold effectively. West Africans smoke them for use in soups and sauces . Smoking protects
1224-668: The Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic ; Sphyraena picudilla , ranging on the Atlantic coast of tropical America from North Carolina to Brazil and reaching Bermuda . Other barracuda species are found around the world. Examples are Sphyraena argentea , found from Puget Sound southwards to Cabo San Lucas , Sphyraena jello , from the seas of India and the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago. The barracuda genus Sphyraena contains 29 species: The following fossil species are also known: A related fossil genus, Parasphyraena ,
1275-454: The Pacific jack mackerel ( Trachurus symmetricus ) and the heavily harvested Chilean jack mackerel ( T. murphyi ). These have been thought at times to be the same species, but are now recognised as separate species. The term "mackerel" is also used as a modifier in the common names of other fish, sometimes indicating the fish has vertical stripes similar to a scombroid mackerel: By extension,
1326-478: The dorsal and ventral sides behind the dorsal and anal fins , but unlike the deep-bodied tuna, they are slim. The type species for scombroid mackerels is the Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus . These fish are iridescent blue-green above with a silvery underbelly and near-vertical wavy black stripes running along their upper bodies. The prominent stripes on the back of mackerels seemingly are there to provide camouflage against broken backgrounds. That
1377-481: The oviparous teleosts, most (79%) do not provide parental care. Viviparity , ovoviviparity , or some form of parental care for eggs, whether by the male, the female, or both parents is seen in a significant fraction (21%) of the 422 teleost families; no care is likely the ancestral condition. The oldest case of viviparity in ray-finned fish is found in Middle Triassic species of † Saurichthys . Viviparity
1428-651: The sister lineage of all other actinopterygians, the Acipenseriformes (sturgeons and paddlefishes) are the sister lineage of Neopterygii, and Holostei (bowfin and gars) are the sister lineage of teleosts. The Elopomorpha ( eels and tarpons ) appear to be the most basal teleosts. The earliest known fossil actinopterygian is Andreolepis hedei , dating back 420 million years ( Late Silurian ), remains of which have been found in Russia , Sweden , and Estonia . Crown group actinopterygians most likely originated near
1479-916: The Devonian-Carboniferous boundary. The earliest fossil relatives of modern teleosts are from the Triassic period ( Prohalecites , Pholidophorus ), although it is suspected that teleosts originated already during the Paleozoic Era . The listing below is a summary of all extinct (indicated by a dagger , †) and living groups of Actinopterygii with their respective taxonomic rank . The taxonomy follows Phylogenetic Classification of Bony Fishes with notes when this differs from Nelson, ITIS and FishBase and extinct groups from Van der Laan 2016 and Xu 2021. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Mackerel Mackerel
1530-402: The adjacent diagram. The swim bladder is a more derived structure and used for buoyancy . Except from the bichirs , which just like the lungs of lobe-finned fish have retained the ancestral condition of ventral budding from the foregut , the swim bladder in ray-finned fishes derives from a dorsal bud above the foregut. In early forms the swim bladder could still be used for breathing,
1581-431: The anterior fin having five spines, and the posterior fin having one spine and nine soft rays. The posterior dorsal fin is similar in size to the anal fin and is situated above it. The lateral line is prominent and extends straight from head to tail. The spinous dorsal fin is placed above the pelvic fins and is normally retracted in a groove. The caudal fin is moderately forked with its posterior edge double-curved and
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1632-463: The bichirs and holosteans (bowfin and gars) in having gone through a whole-genome duplication ( paleopolyploidy ). The WGD is estimated to have happened about 320 million years ago in the teleosts, which on average has retained about 17% of the gene duplicates, and around 180 (124–225) million years ago in the chondrosteans. It has since happened again in some teleost lineages, like Salmonidae (80–100 million years ago) and several times independently within
1683-440: The bulkier, fleshy lobed fins of the sister class Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish). Resembling folding fans , the actinopterygian fins can easily change shape and wetted area , providing superior thrust-to-weight ratios per movement compared to sarcopterygian and chondrichthyian fins. The fin rays attach directly to the proximal or basal skeletal elements, the radials, which represent the articulation between these fins and
1734-645: The coast to suitable spawning grounds, where they spawn in fairly shallow waters. After spawning they return the way they came in smaller schools to suitable feeding grounds, often near an area of upwelling . From there they may move offshore into deeper waters and spend the winter in relative inactivity. Other stocks migrate across oceans. Smaller mackerel are forage fish for larger predators, including larger mackerel and Atlantic cod . Flocks of seabirds, whales, dolphins, sharks, and schools of larger fish such as tuna and marlin follow mackerel schools and attack them in sophisticated and cooperative ways. Mackerel flesh
1785-618: The country. For many years mackerel was regarded as 'unclean' in the UK and other places due to folklore which suggested that the fish fed on the corpses of dead sailors. A 1976 survey of housewives in Britain undertaken by the White Fish Authority indicated a reluctance to departing from buying the traditional staples of cod, haddock or salmon. Less than 10% of the survey's 1,931 respondents had ever bought mackerel, and only 3% did so regularly. As
1836-706: The different actinopterygian clades (in millions of years , mya) are from Near et al., 2012. Jaw-less fishes ( hagfish , lampreys ) [REDACTED] Cartilaginous fishes ( sharks , rays , ratfish ) [REDACTED] Coelacanths [REDACTED] Lungfish [REDACTED] Amphibians [REDACTED] Mammals [REDACTED] Sauropsids ( reptiles , birds ) [REDACTED] Polypteriformes ( bichirs , reedfishes ) [REDACTED] Acipenseriformes ( sturgeons , paddlefishes ) [REDACTED] Teleostei [REDACTED] Amiiformes ( bowfins ) [REDACTED] Lepisosteiformes ( gars ) [REDACTED] The polypterids (bichirs and reedfish) are
1887-432: The fish's habit of spending long periods out of water in the mangrove forests it inhabits. Males are occasionally produced at temperatures below 19 °C (66 °F) and can fertilise eggs that are then spawned by the female. This maintains genetic variability in a species that is otherwise highly inbred. Actinopterygii is divided into the subclasses Cladistia , Chondrostei and Neopterygii . The Neopterygii , in turn,
1938-544: The highest mountain streams . Extant species can range in size from Paedocypris , at 8 mm (0.3 in); to the massive ocean sunfish , at 2,300 kg (5,070 lb); and to the giant oarfish , at 11 m (36 ft). The largest ever known ray-finned fish, the extinct Leedsichthys from the Jurassic , has been estimated to have grown to 16.5 m (54 ft). Ray-finned fishes occur in many variant forms. The main features of typical ray-finned fish are shown in
1989-438: The inner part is crossed with fibrous connective tissue. Leptoid scales are thinner and more transparent than other types of scales, and lack the hardened enamel - or dentine -like layers found in the scales of many other fish. Unlike ganoid scales , which are found in non-teleost actinopterygians, new scales are added in concentric layers as the fish grows. Teleosts and chondrosteans (sturgeons and paddlefish) also differ from
2040-425: The internal skeleton (e.g., pelvic and pectoral girdles). The vast majority of actinopterygians are teleosts . By species count, they dominate the subphylum Vertebrata , and constitute nearly 99% of the over 30,000 extant species of fish . They are the most abundant nektonic aquatic animals and are ubiquitous throughout freshwater and marine environments from the deep sea to subterranean waters to
2091-461: The main clades of living actinopterygians and their evolutionary relationships to other extant groups of fishes and the four-limbed vertebrates ( tetrapods ). The latter include mostly terrestrial species but also groups that became secondarily aquatic (e.g. whales and dolphins ). Tetrapods evolved from a group of bony fish during the Devonian period . Approximate divergence dates for
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2142-490: The open sea. The larvae and juvenile mackerel feed on zooplankton . As adults, they have sharp teeth, and hunt small crustaceans such as copepods , forage fish , shrimp , and squid . In turn, they are hunted by larger pelagic animals such as tuna, billfish , sea lions, sharks , and pelicans . Off Madagascar, spinner sharks follow migrating schools of mackerel. Bryde's whales feed on mackerel when they can find them. They use several feeding methods, including skimming
2193-560: The principal preservation methods available. Historically in England, this fish was not preserved, but was consumed only in its fresh form. However, spoilage was common, leading the authors of The Cambridge Economic History of Europe to remark: "There are more references to stinking mackerel in English literature than to any other fish!" In France, mackerel was traditionally pickled with large amounts of salt, which allowed it to be sold widely across
2244-421: The remains of their prey. Swimmers have reported being bitten by barracudas, but such incidents are rare and possibly caused by poor visibility. Large barracudas can be encountered in muddy shallows on rare occasion. Barracudas may mistake things that glint and shine, like jewelry, for prey. One incident reported a barracuda jumping out of water and injuring a kayaker, but Jason Schratwieser, conservation director of
2295-469: The same species. In 1999, Collette established, on molecular and morphological considerations, that these are separate species. Mackerel are smaller with shorter lifecycles than their close relatives, the tuna , which are also members of the same family. The true mackerels belong to the tribe Scombrini . The tribe consists of seven species, each belonging to one of two genera : Scomber or Rastrelliger . The Spanish mackerels belong to
2346-638: The soft flesh from disintegrating in the broth and gives it a smoky flavour. Actinopterygii Actinopterygii ( / ˌ æ k t ɪ n ɒ p t ə ˈ r ɪ dʒ i aɪ / ; from actino- 'having rays' and Ancient Greek πτέρυξ (ptérux) 'wing, fins'), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians , is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of skin supported by radially extended thin bony spines called lepidotrichia , as opposed to
2397-615: The surface , lunging , and bubble nets . Chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus , are the most intensively fished scombroid mackerel. They account for about half the total capture production of scombroid mackerels. As a species, they are easily confused with Atlantic mackerel. Chub mackerel migrate long distances in oceans and across the Mediterranean. They can be caught with drift nets and suitable trawls , but are most usually caught with surround nets at night by attracting them with lampara lamps. The remaining catch of scombroid mackerels
2448-407: The surface, can be caught efficiently by purse seining. Huge purse-seine vessels use spotter planes to locate the schooling fish. Then they close in using sophisticated sonar to track the shape of the school, which is then encircled with fast auxiliary boats that deploy purse seines as they speed around the school. Suitably designed trollers can also catch mackerels effectively when they swim near
2499-409: The surface. Trollers typically have several long booms which they lift and drop with "topping lifts". They haul their lines with electric or hydraulic reels. Fish aggregating devices are also used to target mackerel. The North Sea has been overfished to the point where the ecological balance has become disrupted and many jobs in the fishing industry have been lost. The Southeast US region spans
2550-690: The term is applied also to other species such as the mackerel tabby cat , and to inanimate objects such as the altocumulus mackerel sky cloud formation. Most mackerel belong to the family Scombridae, which also includes tuna and bonito . Generally, mackerel are much smaller and slimmer than tuna, though in other respects, they share many common characteristics. Their scales , if present at all, are extremely small. Like tuna and bonito, mackerel are voracious feeders, and are swift and manoeuvrable swimmers, able to streamline themselves by retracting their fins into grooves on their bodies. Like other scombroids, their bodies are cylindrical with numerous finlets on
2601-487: The tribe Scomberomorini , which is the "cousin tribe" of the true mackerels. This tribe consists of 21 species in all—18 of those are classified into the genus Scomberomorus , two into Grammatorcynus , and a single species into the monotypic genus Acanthocybium . In addition, a number of species with mackerel-like characteristics in the families Carangidae , Hexagrammidae and Gempylidae are commonly referred to as mackerel. Some confusion had occurred between
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