Indian mackerel
Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier, 1816)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Rastrelliger kanagurta. From fishmarket, Nouméa, New Caledonia.
Jean-Lou Justine · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Indian mackerel or bigmouth mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) is a species of mackerel in the family Scombridae. It is commonly found in the Indian and West
Pacific oceans, and their surrounding seas. It is an important food fish and is commonly used in South and South-East Asian cuisine.
It is known by various names, such as Pelaling in Malaysia, Kembung lelaki in Indonesia, Bangdo (बांगडो) in Konkani language, Bangdi (બાંગડી) in Gujarati, Bangda (बांगडा) in Marathi, Kajol Gouri (কাজল গৌরী) in Bengali, Ayla (അയല, ഐല) in Malayalam, Kankarta (କାନକରତା) in Odia, Kaanankeluthi (காணாங்கெலுத்தி) in Tamil, Kaanagadata(కానగడత) in Telugu, Kumbalawaa (කුම්බලාව) in Sinhala and Bangude (ಬಂಗುಡೆ) in Tulu, and Kannada. It is called alumahan in the Philippines.
Wikipedia contributors, Indian mackerel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:02:29.386796+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier, 1816)
- Name authority
- (Cuvier, 1816)
- Common name
- Indian mackerel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Scombriformes
- Family
- Scombridae
- Genus
- Rastrelliger
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderScombriformes
- familyScombridae Rafinesque, 1815
- subfamilyScombrinae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusRastrelliger Jordan & Starks, 1908
- speciesRastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier, 1816)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Rastrelliger. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| short mackerelRastrelliger brachysoma (Bleeker, 1851) | ScombridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rastrelliger faughni Matsui, 1967 | ScombridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=127020 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4RLTK. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.