Frigate and bullet tunas Temporal range: | |
---|---|
Bullet tuna, Auxis rochei | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Scombriformes |
Family: | Scombridae |
Tribe: | Thunnini |
Genus: | Auxis Cuvier, 1829 |
Type species | |
Scomber rochei Risso, 1810 | |
Species | |
See text. |
Auxis is a genus of ocean-dwelling ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, and tribe Thunnini, also known as the tunas. Auxis, commonly and collectively called the frigate tunas, is one of five genera of tunas which comprise the Thunnini tribe.
There are four extant species in the genus Auxis, which were formerly regarded as two polytypic species, each with two subspecies. [1] In 2021, the extinct species Auxis koreanus was described from the Neogene of South Korea. [2]
Auxis can reach a length of 50–65 centimetres (20–26 in). They have a strong, fusiform body with a sharpened head. The teeth are small and conical. The two dorsal fins are separated by a wide gap. The pectoral fins are short. They have a dark, blue-black back, the top of the head may be deep purple or almost black. The belly is whitish and without streaks or spots.
These fishes are widespread in all tropical and subtropical seas and oceans, and both mentioned species are present in the Mediterranean Sea with their subspecies (A. thazard thazard and A. rochei rochei).
Auxis species are the predominant prey of pelagic gamefish off of the east coast of the United States. [3]
In Japan the two species in the genus are collectively called sōdagatsuo (Japanese: ソウダガツオ,宗太鰹), and this is also the common genus name. In Japanese cuisine, these fish are processed into sōdabushi, a product much like katsuobushi , though not really used in fine-dining restaurants or as condiment, but as a fish stock ingredient at more budget type popular-dining places, e.g., soba noodle shops.
Although fresh fish might be eaten as sashimi or grilled, it has a lot of dark-red meat (chiai), so it is valued much less than the similar katsuo (skipjack tuna). And it degrades quickly so shipment out to market is limited. The frigate tuna (hirasoda) is considered superior between the two.
Fossils of Auxis have been found in the Pliocene of Italy and United States (age range: from 5.3 to 3.6 million years ago.). [4]
A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna up to the Atlantic bluefin tuna, which averages 2 m (6.6 ft) and is believed to live up to 50 years.
Mackerel 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.
The mackerel, tuna, and bonito family, Scombridae, includes many of the most important and familiar food fishes. The family consists of 51 species in 15 genera and two subfamilies. All species are in the subfamily Scombrinae, except the butterfly kingfish, which is the sole member of subfamily Gasterochismatinae.
The double-lined mackerel, is a species of Spanish mackerel in the family Scombridae. This species is sometimes also called the scad mackerel.
The butterfly kingfish is an ocean-dwelling ray-finned bony fish in the mackerel family, Scombridae – a family which it shares with the tunas, mackerels, Spanish mackerels, and bonitos. Unlike the 50 species from those four tribes, however, this species is unique in that it is the only scombrid to be classified apart from the rest, into the subfamily Gasterochismatinae and genus Gasterochisma.
The Atlantic bonito is a large mackerel-like fish of the family Scombridae. It is common in shallow waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea, where it is an important commercial and game fish.
The frigate tuna, frigate mackerel or alagaduwa is a species of tuna, in the family Scombridae, found around the world in tropical oceans. The eastern Pacific population is now regarded as a separate species by some authorities, Auxis brachydorax.
Thunnus is a genus of ocean-dwelling, ray-finned bony fish from the mackerel family, Scombridae. More specifically, Thunnus is one of five genera which make up the tribe Thunnini – a tribe that is collectively known as the tunas. Also called the true tunas or real tunas, Thunnus consists of eight species of tuna, divided into two subgenera.
The little tunny, also known as the false albacore, little tuna, bonita, or erroneously as the blue bonito, is a species of tuna in the family Scombridae. It can be found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean and Black seas; in the western Atlantic, it ranges from Brazil to the New England states. The little tunny is a pelagic fish that can be found regularly in both offshore and inshore waters, and it is classified as a highly migratory species. The little tunny is best identified by the "worm-like" markings on its back and the dark spots appearing between its pectoral and ventral fins.
The bullet tuna, Auxis rochei, is a species of tuna, in the family Scombridae, found circumglobally in tropical oceans, including the Mediterranean Sea, in open surface waters to depths of 50 m (164 ft). The population of bullet tuna in the Eestern Pacific was classified as a subspecies of A. rochei, A. rochei eudorax, but some authorities regard this as a valid species Auxis eudorax. Its maximum length is 50 centimetres (20 in).
Euthynnus affinis, the mackerel tuna, little tuna, wavyback skipjack tuna, kawakawa, or tongkol is a species of ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, or mackerel family. It belongs to the tribe Thunnini, better known as the tunas. This is an Indo-Pacific species which is found from the Red Sea to French Polynesia.
Euthynnus is a genus of ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, or mackerel family, and in the tribe Thunnini, more commonly known as the tunas.
Euthynnus lineatus, the black skipjack tuna or black skipjack, is a species of ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae. It belongs to the tribe Thunnini, better known as the tunas.
The leaping bonito is a species of saltwater finfish from the Scombridae (Mackerel) family. Scombridae includes such tribes as the mackerels, tunas, and bonitos – the latter of which, the Sardini tribe, this fish is a member. It is the only member of the genus Cybiosarda, which is therefore called a monotypic taxon. Since the bonitos and tunas are close relatives, this fish has variously been referred to by such other common names as Australian tuna, striped bonito, and Watson's bonito.
The Scombrinae are a subfamily of ray-finned bony fishes in the family Scombridae. Of the 51 species in the Scombridae, 50 are in Scombrinae – with the sole exception being the butterfly kingfish, which is placed in the monospecific subfamily Gasterochismatinae.
Thunnus (Neothunnus) is a subgenus of ray-finned bony fishes in the Thunnini, or tuna, tribe. More specifically, Neothunnus is a subgenus of the genus Thunnus, also known as the "true tunas". Neothunnus is sometimes referred to as the yellowfin group, and comprises three species:
Thunnus (Thunnus) is a subgenus of ray-finned bony fishes in the Thunnini, or tuna, tribe. More specifically, Thunnus (Thunnus) is a subgenus of the genus Thunnus, also known as the "true tunas". Thunnus (Thunnus) is sometimes referred to as the bluefin group and comprises five species:
The Korean mackerel also known as the Korean seerfish, is a ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, better known as the mackerel family. Within that family, this fish is a member of the tribe Scomberomorini, the Spanish mackerels. It has an Indo-Pacific distribution which extends from the east coast of India and Sri Lanka along the Asian continental shelf to Sumatra, then north to Korea and Wakasa Bay in the Sea of Japan. This species is of minor commercial importance in some parts of its range, where it is taken using gill nets and is marketed either fresh or dried-salted. The Korean mackerel is an important quarry species for the drift net fishery in Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar in India.
Auxis brachydorax is a species of tuna in the family Scombridae. It is a pelagic marine species native to the eastern Central Pacific, where it has been reported from mainland Ecuador, the Galápagos, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and the United States. The species reaches 40 cm in fork length.
Auxis eudorax is a species of tuna in the family Scombridae. It is a pelagic marine species native to the Eastern Pacific, where it has been reported from mainland Ecuador, the Galápagos, Mexico, Panama, and the United States. The species reaches 36.5 cm in fork length.