Little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus)

Scientific name: Euthynnus alletteratus Rafinesque, 1810

The Little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Scombridae.

Biology

Found in neritic waters close inshore. This schooling species is an opportunistic predator which feeds on virtually everything within its range, i.e. crustaceans, fishes (mainly clupeoid), squids, heteropods and tunicates. Eggs and larvae are pelagic. Specialized traps (madragues) are used in Tunisia and Morocco. Diving bird flocks may indicate large schools. Utilized fresh, dried-salted, smoked, canned and frozen. A popular game fish.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Euthynnus alletteratus
Family: Scombridae (Mackerels, tunas, bonitos)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 122
Common length: 80.0
Depth range: 1–150 m (3–492 ft)
Environment: Marine; brackish; reef-associated; oceanodromous; depth range 1 - 150 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Atlantic Ocean: in tropical and subtropical waters, including the Mediterranean, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Reports of ciguatera poisoning
Uses: Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.13-0.22; tm=2; tmax=8; Fec=71,000)

Sources

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

Last updated 27 September 2026