Scombrids have twodorsal fins and a series offinlets behind the rear dorsal fin andanal fin. Thecaudal fin is strongly divided and rigid, with a slender, ridged base. The first (spiny) dorsal fin and thepelvic fins are normally retracted into body grooves. Species lengths vary from the 20 cm (7.9 in) of theisland mackerel to the 4.58 m (15.0 ft) recorded for the immenseAtlantic bluefin tuna.
Scombrids are generally predators of the open ocean, and are found worldwide in tropical and temperate waters. They are capable of considerable speed, due to a highly streamlined body and retractable fins. Some members of the family, in particular the tunas, are notable for being partiallyendothermic (warm-blooded), a feature that also helps them to maintain high speed and activity. Other adaptations include a large amount of red muscle, allowing them to maintain activity over long periods. Scombrids like theyellowfin tuna can reach speeds of 22 km/h (14 mph).[2]
Jordan, Evermann, and Clark (1930) divide these fishes into the four families: Cybiidae, Katsuwonidae, Scombridae, and Thunnidae,[3] buttaxonomists later classified them all into a single family, the Scombridae.[4][5]
TheWorld Wildlife Fund and theZoological Society of London jointly issued their "Living Blue Planet Report" on 16 September 2015 which states that a dramatic fall of 74% occurred in worldwide stocks of scombridae fish between 1970 and 2010, and the global overall "population sizes of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish fell by half on average in just 40 years".[6]
^Muséum national d'histoire naturelle (France); naturelle (France), Muséum national d'histoire (1959).Notes et mémoires sur le Moyen-Orient. Vol. t.7 (1959). Paris: Muséum national d'histoire naturelle.
