Knowra Scombridae Scombridae Scombridae is a family of marine ray-finned fishes that includes mackerels, tunas, bonitos, and Spanish mackerels. Its members are generally streamlined, fast-swimming predators.
Perciformes : A traditional order of ray-finned fishes that includes many familiar marine groups. Scombridae was traditionally placed within this broad order, though modern classifications differ.
Thunniform locomotion : A swimming mode in which a fish propels itself mainly by oscillating a narrow tail and rear body. This efficient propulsion helps tunas sustain high speeds over long distances.
Atlantic bluefin tuna : A large tuna species found in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. Its high-value fishery has made it a prominent test case for tuna management.
Carangidae : A family of marine fishes that includes jacks, trevallies, and scads. Carangids are fast pelagic swimmers often confused with mackerels but belong to a separate family.
Scombroidei : A traditional suborder grouping mackerels, tunas, and related fishes. This broader grouping historically encompassed Scombridae and nearby families.
Regional endothermy : The retention of metabolic heat in selected body regions above the temperature of surrounding water. Some scombrids keep swimming muscles, eyes, or other tissues warmer than the sea.
Skipjack tuna : A small, abundant tuna species found in tropical and warm-temperate oceans. It supports major commercial fisheries and is widely sold canned.
Coryphaenidae : A family of marine fishes containing dolphinfishes, including mahi-mahi. Dolphinfishes share open-ocean habitats with scombrids but have a different body plan and lineage.
Thunnini : The tuna tribe within the mackerel family, including several genera of large, fast-swimming fishes. It is one of the most familiar lineages within Scombridae.
Rete mirabile : A dense network of closely paired blood vessels that transfers heat or substances between blood streams. Countercurrent heat exchange in this vessel network helps some tunas conserve metabolic warmth.
Show all 22