Spotted Mackerel, Scomberomorus munroi Collette & Russo 1980


Other Names: Australian Spotted Mackerel, Japanese Spanish Mackerel, Munro's Spanish Mackerel, Munro's Spanish-mackerel, Spotted Spanish Mackerel, Spotties, Spotty

A Spotted Mackerel, Scomberomorus munroi, from north of Noosa, Queensland, May 2010. Source: Kevin Long / iNaturalist.org. License: CC By Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:

A long, slender bluish-green to silvery-grey mackerel with indistinct rows of large round spots along the sides, pectoral fins with a dark blue inner surface, and a bright steely blue membrane on the first dorsal fin (fading to black after capture).

The Spotted Mackerel is known for its southerly migration down the Queensland coast during summer - referred to as the "spotty run".



Cite this page as:
Dianne J. Bray & S. Schultz, Scomberomorus munroi in Fishes of Australia, accessed 08 Dec 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2543

Spotted Mackerel, Scomberomorus munroi Collette & Russo 1980

More Info


Distribution

Known in Australian waters from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia, to Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. Found elsewhere in southern Papua New Guinea. An epipelagic, neritic species, usually found in open offshore waters away from reefs, although known to follow baitfish inshore. Large schools move close inshore down the Queensland coast during summer. Depth range 0-50 m.

Features

Meristic features:
Dorsal-fin rays: XX-XXII, 17-19 + 8-10 finlets
Anal-fin rays: 15-16 + 7-9 finlets
Pectoral-fin rays: 21-23
Vertebrae: 12
Gill rakers: 10-12

Body elongate and strongly compressed. Both jaws with a single series of 5-38 sharp triangular teeth. Body covered in small scales, no anterior corselet present. A single lateral line gradually curving downward to caudal peduncle. Caudal peduncle with well-developed keel, flanked on each side by a smaller keel. Dorsal fins separated by a narrow space. Swim bladder absent.

Size

To at least 104 cm FL, and 10.2 kg. Females grow faster and reach a larger size than males.

Colour

Bluish-green above, sides silvery blue, cheek and belly silvery-white; several poorly-defined indistinct rows of spots along sides; first dorsal fin completely black or dark-bluish, lacking a white patch; inner surface of pectoral fin dark blue; anal fin and finlets pale silvery-grey.

Feeding

Carnivore - feeds mostly on clupeids and anchovies, also on squid and prawns.

Biology

Females mature between 45 and 50 cm FL, males between 40 and 45 cm FL, before two years of age. On the east coast, spawning occurs offshore in northern Queensland during winter and spring, from August to October, with peak spawning in September. After spawning large schools head inshore and migrate southwards over summer. 

Larvae and eggs are dispersed southwards by currents.

Fisheries

Although not targeted commercially, is taken as bycatch in the Spanish Mackerel fishery. Spotted Mackerel are taken by recreational fishers while trolling lures, most commonly from December to May - although not a common catch.

Conservation

  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Near Threatened
  • Similar Species

    Has smaller spots along the sides than the School Mackerel, Scomberomorus queenslandicus.

    Etymology

    Named in honour of the Australian ichthyologist Dr Ian S.R. Munro.

    Species Citation

    Scomberomorus munroi Collette & Russo 1980, Aust. J. Mar. Freshw. Res. 31(2): 243, Fig. 1a. Type locality: Deception Bay, north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

    Author

    Dianne J. Bray & S. Schultz

    Spotted Mackerel, Scomberomorus munroi Collette & Russo 1980

    References


    Allan, R. 2002. Australian Fish and How to Catch Them. Sydney : New Holland Publishers, Australia 394 pp.

    Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.

    Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.

    Begg, G.A. 1998. Reproductive biology of school mackerel (Scomberomorus queenslandicus) and spotted mackerel (S.munroi) in Queensland east-coast waters.Marine and Freshwater Research 49: 261-270

    Begg, G.A. & G.A. Hopper. 1997. Feeding patterns of school mackerel (Scomberomorus queenslandicus) and spotted mackerel (S. munroi) in Queensland east-coast waters. Marine and Freshwater Research 48: 565-571.

    Begg, G.A., M.F. O'Neill, S.X. Cadrin & M.A.J. Bergenius. 2005. Stock assessment of the Australian east coast spotted mackerel fishery. CRC Reef Research Centre Technical Report No. 58, CRC Reef Research Centre, Townsville, Australia.

    Collette, B.B. 2001. Scombridae. pp. 3721-3756 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218.

    Collette, B.B. & Nauen, C.E. 1983. FAO species catalogue. Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of tunas, mackerels, bonitos and related species known to date. Fisheries Synopsis No. 125, Vol. 2. Rome : FAO. 137 pp. 81 figs

    Collette, B.B. & Russo, J.L. 1980. Scomberomorus munroi, a new species of Spanish mackerel from Australia and New Guinea. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 31(2): 241-250 figs 1-3

    Collette, B.B. & Russo, J.L. 1985. Morphology, systematics, and biology of the Spanish mackerels (Scomberomorus, Scombridae). Fishery Bulletin (U.S.) 82: 545-692, 70 figs

    Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & Kailola, P.J. 1984. Trawled Fishes of Southern Indonesia and Northwest Australia. Jakarta : Dir. Gen. Fish. (Indonesia), German Tech. Coop., Aust. Dev. Ass. Bur. 406 pp.

    Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp.

    Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp.

    Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3)

    Kailola, P.J., Williams, M.J., Stewart, P.C., Reichelt, R.E., McNee, A. & Grieve, C. 1993. Australian Fisheries Resources. Canberra : Bureau of Resource Sciences and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation 422 pp.

    Pepperell, J. 2010. Fishes of the Open Ocean a Natural History & Illustrated Guide. Sydney : University of New South Wales Press Ltd 266 pp.

    Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs.

    Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

    Roughley, T.C. 1957. Fish and Fisheries of Australia. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 341 pp.

    Russell, B.C. & Houston, W. 1989. Offshore fishes of the Arafura Sea. The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory 6(1): 69-84

    Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1985. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls.

    Yearsley, G.K., Last, P.R. & Ward, R.D. (eds) 1999. Australian Seafood Handbook. Hobart : CSIRO Marine Research 460 pp.

    Quick Facts


    CAAB Code:37441015

    Conservation:IUCN Near Threatened

    Danger:Reports of ciguatera poisoning

    Depth:0-50 m

    Fishing:Commercial and gamefish

    Habitat:Pelagic

    Max Size:104 cm FL; 10.2 kg

    Species Image Gallery

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    CAAB distribution map