Mackerel fish, sometimes indicating the fish has vertical stripes similar to a scombroid mackerel: By extension, the term is applied also to other species such as the mackerel tabby cat, and to inanimate objects such as the altocumulus mackerel sky cloud formation. Most mackerel belong to the family Scombridae, which also includes tuna and bonito. Generally mackerel are much smaller and slimmer than tuna, though in other respects they share many common characteristics. Their scales, if present at all, are extremely small. Like tuna and bonito, mackerel are voracious feeders, and are swift and manoeuvrable swimmers, able to streamline themselves by
Australian spotted mackerel quantities of shrimps and squids. It is sometimes confused with Japanese Spanish mackerel, "S. niphonius". Conservation status of the species has been evaluated as Near Threatened by the IUCN. This species was described in 1980 and was previously confused with the Japanese Spanish mackerel of the north western Pacific but "S. munroi" has a different visceral structure , more vertebrae and fewer gill rakers. Australian spotted mackerel The Australian spotted mackerel ("Scomberomorus munroi") is a species of fish in the family Scombridae. Common fork length ranges between 50 and 80 cm. Specimens have been recorded at up to 104 cm