Scombroidei

Scombroidei Temporal range: Middle Paleocene–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
A school of Indian mackerel Rastrelliger kanagurta
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Scombriformes
Suborder:	Scombroidei
Families
See text

Scombroidei or Scombrales is a suborder or infraorder of the order Scombriformes or suborder Scombroidei. The suborder or infraorder includes the tunas, mackerel and snake-mackerels. Regular scombrids are observed to have large heads, eyes, and mouths. In most cases, the second dorsal fin will develop before the development of the first.

The earliest known member is the scombrid Landanichthys from the Selandian of Angola, although potential fossil teeth of Eutrichiurides are slightly older. ^{[1] [2]}

Taxonomy

Originally, both Scombroidei and Stromateoidei were placed under the order Perciformes, but both taxa are now lumped together into the order Scombriformes or alternatively ranked as infraorders (Stromateales and Scombrales) under the suborder Scombroidei within the order Syngnathiformes. Most modern taxonomic authorities use the former treatment. ^[3]

The following taxonomic classification is used by Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: ^[3]

• Suborder Scombroidei
  • Family Pomatomidae Gill , 1863 (bluefishes)
  • Family Icosteidae Jordan & Gilbert , 1880 (ragfishes)
  • Family Arripidae Gill, 1893 (Australian salmons)
  • Family Chiasmodontidae Jordan & Gilbert, 1883 (swallowers)
  • Family Scombridae Rafinesque , 1815 (mackerels, tunas and bonitos)
  • Family Caristiidae Gill & Smith , 1905 (manefishes)
  • Family Bramidae Bonaparte , 1831 (pomfrets)
  • Superfamily Trichiuroidea ^[2]
    • Family Scombrolabracidae Fowler , 1925 (longfin escolar)
    • Family Gempylidae Gill, 1862 (snake mackerels)
    • Family Trichiuridae Rafinesque, 1810 (cutlassfishes)

Some authors consider this treatment paraphyletic with respect to Stromateoidei. ^[4]

Several extinct taxa are also known within the Trichiuroidea: ^[2]

• Superfamily Trichiuroidea ^[2]
  • Genus † Argestichthys Prokofiev, 2002 (earliest Eocene)
  • Genus † Eutrichiurides Casier, 1944 (early Paleocene to early Oligocene, potentially a cutlassfish)
  • Genus † Macroynis Beckett, Giles, Johanson & Friedman, 2018 (early Eocene)
  • Family †Euzaphlegidae Daniltshenko, 1960 (early Eocene to late Miocene) ^{[5] [6]}

References

1. Friedman, Matt; V. Andrews, James; Saad, Hadeel; El-Sayed, Sanaa (2023-06-16). "The Cretaceous–Paleogene transition in spiny-rayed fishes: surveying "Patterson's Gap" in the acanthomorph skeletal record André Dumont medalist lecture 2018". Geologica Belgica. doi: 10.20341/gb.2023.002 . ISSN   1374-8505.
2. Beckett, Hermione T.; Giles, Sam; Johanson, Zerina; Friedman, Matt (2018). "Morphology and phylogenetic relationships of fossil snake mackerels and cutlassfishes (Trichiuroidea) from the Eocene (Ypresian) London Clay Formation". Papers in Palaeontology. 4 (4): 577–603. doi:10.1002/spp2.1221. ISSN   2056-2802.
3. Fricke, R.; Eschmeyer, W. N.; Van der Laan, R. (2025). "ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
4. Near, Thomas J.; Thacker, Christine E. (2024-04-18). "Phylogenetic Classification of Living and Fossil Ray-Finned Fishes (Actinopterygii)". Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History. 65 (1). doi:10.3374/014.065.0101. ISSN   0079-032X.
5. Bannikov, Alexandre F. (2008) "A new genus and species of putative euzaphlegid fish from the Eocene of Bolca in northern Italy (Periformes, Trichiuroidea)." Studi e Ricerche sui giacimenti Terziari di Bolca, XII Miscellanea Paleontologica 9: 99-107.
6. David, Lore Rose (January 10, 1943). Miocene Fishes of Southern California. Geological Society of America. pp. 104-115.

• Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 363: 1–560. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
• Nishikawa, Rimmer, Yasuo, David W. (1987). Identification of larval tunas, billfishes and other scombroid fishes (suborder Scombroidei): an illustrated guide. No. 186. p. 2.