Euthynnus affinis - NIO Bioinformatics Website

NATIONAL BIORESOURCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD 

Dept. of Biotechnology 

Government of India, New Delhi 

MARINE BIORESOURCES 

FORMS DATA ENTRY: Form- 1(general ) Ref. No.: 

(please answer only relevant fields;add additional fields if you require) 

Fauna : √ Flora Microorganisms 

General Category : Vertebrata (Zooplankton), Fish larvae 

Scientific name &Authority : Euthynnus affinis (Cantor) 1880-Adult 

Common Name ( if available) : Mackerel tuna 

Synonyms: 

Thynnus affinis 

Euthynnus affinis 

Euthynnus yaito 

Classification: 

Phylum: Vertebrata 

Super Class : Pisces 

Super Order: Teleostei 

Super Family: 

Genus : Euthynnus 

Author(s) 

Cantor 

Fraser-Brunner 

Clank and Postal 

Sub- Phylum 

Class : Osteichthyes 

Order: Perciformes 

Family : Scombridae 

Species : affinis 

Authority: Euthynnus affinis (Cantor) 1880 

Reference No. 

Cantor, T.E., 1850. Jour. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, 18: 1088 

Status 

1850 

1949 

1958 

Sub- Class: Actinopterygii 

Sub Order : Scombroidei 

Sub-Family: Thunninae 

Gorbunova, N.N., 1974. A review of Scombroid fishes (Pisces, Scombridae). Trudy. 

Inst. Okeanol, 96: 23-76 (in Russian). 

Matsumoto, W.M. 1959. Descriptions of Euthynnus and Auxis larvae from the Pacific 

and Atlantic Oceans and adjacent seas. Dana Report, 50: 1-34. 

Geographical Location: 

Wide spread along the east coast of Africa, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, West and east 

coast of India, Laccadives, Maldives, Srilanka, Andamans and Indonesian waters. 

Latitude: 

Longitude: 

Place: 

State: 

For office use:

Environment 

Fresh water: Yes/ No 

Brackish : Yes / No 

Salt water : Yes√ / No 

Habitat : 

Migrations : 

Depth range : 

Picture (scanned images or photographs of adult / larval stages) 

Salinity : 

Temperature : 

Figs. 1 – 6. Larvae of Euthynnus affinis 

Fig. 1 – 3.45 mm; Fig. 2 – 4.8 mm; Fig. 3 – 5.4 mm 

Fig. 4 – 6.1 mm; Fig. 5 – 7.1 mm; Fig. 6 – 8.4 mm; Fig. 7 – 9.1 mm. 

(Reproduced from Gorbunova, 1974)

DATA ENTRY FORM: Form- 2(Fish / shellfish / others ) Ref.No.: 

(please answer only relevant fields ; add additional fields if you require) 

Form –1 Ref.No.: 

IMPORTANCE 

Landing statistics (t/y) : from to Place : Ref . No.: 

Main source of landing: Yes/ No Coast: east/ west 

Importance to fisheries: 

Main catching method : 

Used for aquaculture : yes/ never/ rarely 

Used as bait : yes/no/ occasionally 

Aquarium fish : yes/ no/ rarely 

Game fish : yes/ no 

Dangerous fish : poisonous/ harmful/ harmless 

Bioactivity : locally known/ reported/ not known Details: 

Period of availability : Throughout the year – yes/ no If no, months: 

SALIENT FEATURES : 

Morphological: 

Diagnostic characteristics: 

Sex attributes: 

Descriptive characters:

Meristic characteristics: 

Feeding habit: 

Main food : 

Feeding type : 

Additional remarks: 

Size and age: 

Maximum length (cm) (male / female/ unsexed) 

Average length (cm) (male / female / unsexed) 

Maximum weight : (g) (male / female / unsexed) 

Average weight :(g) (male / female / unsexed) 

Longevity (y) (wild) : (captivity ) 

Length / weight relationalships: 

Ref. No.: 

Ref. No.: 

Ref. No.: 

Ref. No.: 

Ref. No.:

Eggs and larvae: 

Ref . No.: 

Information on eggs is not available. Ripe ovum is reported to be of having an 

average diameter of 0.99 mm with single oil globule of 0.25 mm. 

Larval stages are characteristically long and slender and head conspicuously large. 

The abdominal sac is triangular, small and anteriorly situated. The vent is far forward 

of the mid point of total length. Eye diameter is more than the length of snout in early 

stages. Seven preopercular spines could be distinguished. There are 39 myomeres, of 

which 20 are precaudal and 19 caudal. Teeth are present on both jaws. 

Pigments are present on the membrane covering the brain and the sides of the 

head. An important distinguishing character is the presence of an irregular row of dark 

chromatophores along the posterior portion of the ventral midline, and a series of 4 or 

5 chromatophores in anterior half of the mandible. (Figs. 1-7) 

Characteristics: 

Abundance: 

Biochemical aspects: 

Proximate analysis: moisture/ fat/ protein/ carbohydrate/ash Ref. No. 

Electrophoresis: Ref. No. 

SPAWNING INFORMATION: 

Locality: Main Ref: 

Spawning ground appears to be within the 200 km line from the coast. Off 

Vizhinjam the probable period of spawning of this species is between April and 

September with peak in May – August. This differs in different parts of the Indian 

Ocean. 

Season: 

Fecundity: 

Comment: 

MAJOR PUBLICATIONS (INDIAN): 

(include review articles, monographs, books etc.) 

Jones, s. 1960. Notes on egg, larvae and juveniles of fishes from Indian waters.V . 

Euthynnus affinis (Cantor). Indian J. Fish., 7(1): 101-106. 

Jones, S., and M. Kumaran, 1964. Eggs, larvae and juveniles of Indian Scombroid 

fishes. Proc. Sym. Scomber. Fishes, Mandapam Camp, (Mar. Biol. Ass. India) 

1: 343-378. 

Peter, K.J., 1977. Distribution of tuna larvae in the Arabian Sea. Proc. Symp. Warm. 

WaterZool. Spl. Pbl. UNESCO/NIO, pp. 36-40. 

Peter, K.J., 1982. Studies on some fish larvae of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. 

Ph. D. Thesis, Univ. of Cochin, pp. 349.

LIST OF INDIAN EXPERTS (Name, address, phone, fax, e-mail etc.) 

1. Dr. K.J.Peter 

Scientist, NIO. (Rtd) 

Koithara 

54/2950, Kadavanthara South 

Kochi-682020 

Ph. (0484) 318036 

e-mail: peterann@md4.vsnl.net.in 

2. Mr. M. Kumaran 

Scientist CMFRI (Rtd.) 

Malamparambil Housing Colony 

Calicut – 673 009 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: 

(List of persons who contributed, modified or checked information)

Euthynnus affinis - NIO Bioinformatics Website

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