Tabby cat is also comparable to the Spanish word "ataviar", which means "to decorate or to dress or wear" and often implies luxurious clothing. Usage of the term "tabby cat ," which means "one with a striped coat", began in the 1690s and was later shortened to "tabby" in 1774. The notion that tabby is indicative of a female cat may be a reference to the feminine proper name Tabby, as a shortened form of Tabitha. There are four tabby patterns that have been shown to be genetically distinct: Mackerel, Classic, Spotted, and Ticked. A fifth includes tabby as part of another
Mackerel 21 species in all—18 of those are classified into the genus "Scomberomorus", two into "Grammatorcynus", and a single species into the monotypic genus "Acanthocybium". In addition, a number of species with mackerel-like characteristics in the families Carangidae, Hexagrammidae and Gempylidae are commonly referred to as mackerel. There has been some confusion between the Pacific jack mackerel ("Trachurus symmetricus") and the heavily harvested Chilean jack mackerel ("Trachurus murphyi"). These have been thought at times to be the same species, but are now recognised as separate species. The term "mackerel" is also used as a modifier in the common names of other