Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta)

Scientific name: Rastrelliger kanagurta Cuvier, 1816

Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta)

The Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) is a marine fish of the family Scombridae. In the aquarium it needs water at 17°C (63°F).

Indian mackerel care at a glance

Temperature
17°C (63°F)

Biology

Adults occur in coastal bays, harbors and deep lagoons, usually in some turbid plankton-rich waters. Form schools. Feed on phytoplankton (diatoms) and small zooplankton (cladocerans, ostracods, larval polychaetes, etc.). Small groups were seen eating eggs of Cheilio inermis straight after spawning. Adult individuals feed on macroplankton such as larval shrimps and fish. Eggs and larvae are pelagic. Generally marketed fresh, frozen, canned, dried-salted, and smoked; also made into fish sauce.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Rastrelliger kanagurta
Family
Scombridae (Mackerels, tunas, bonitos)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
35.0
Common length
25.0
Depth range
20–90 m (66–295 ft)
Environment
Marine; pelagic-neritic; oceanodromous; depth range 20 - 90 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Indonesia, north to the Ryukyu Islands and China, south to Australia, Melanesia and Samoa. Entered the eastern Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes; bait: occasionally
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.29-1.9; tm=1; tmax=4)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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