Decapterus macarellus

Mackerel scad | Cigarfish | Kingston | Mackerel | Robin | Scad
Decapterus macarellus
Decapterus macarellus, adult, Vulcan Shoal, Western Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith

Distribution

Temperate Australasia, Tropical Atlantic/Caribbean, Tropical Eastern Pacific, Tropical Indo-Pacific


Description

Elongate body, small black spot at rear of opercle, yellow tail, small detached finlet above and below tail base (characteristic of Decapterus scads), and scutes small and pale (unlike other Decapterus scads). Forms large schools, often mixed with other species. Length to 46 cm.


Information

Max Size: 46 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 21-30.7°C

Depth: 0-400 m

Habitat Generalization Index: N/A

Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.


Conservation and Rarity

IUCN Status: Not Evaluated

Occurrence: Rare (0.8% of sites)

Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed

Abundance: Many (55 per transect)

Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.


Edit by: RD Stuart-Smith, GJ Edgar, AJ Green, IV Shaw. 2015. Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland