Snake mackerel (Gempylus serpens)

Scientific name: Gempylus serpens Cuvier, 1829

The Snake mackerel (Gempylus serpens) is a marine fish of the family Gempylidae.

Biology

Strictly oceanic and usually solitary. Adults migrate to the surface at night while larvae and juveniles are found near the surface during the day. Feed on fishes, cephalopods and crustaceans. Males mature at 43 cm SL, females at 50 cm. Eggs and larvae are pelagic. Sold frozen, as sausages or fish cake. Not eaten raw, but cooked in any way, also dried.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Gempylus serpens
Family: Gempylidae (Snake mackerels)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 100.0
Common length: 60.0
Depth range: 0–600 m (0–1969 ft)
Environment: Marine; pelagic-oceanic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 600 m
Climate: Deep-water
Distribution: Worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. Adults also often caught in temperate waters. Specimen caught on the Atlantic side of South Africa (33?08'S 16?47'E at 700 m) probably strayed from the Indian Ocean.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: minor commercial; bait: occasionally
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Fec=300,000)

Sources

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

Last updated 27 September 2026