blackfin tuna
Thunnus atlanticus (Lesson, 1831)
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
The blackfin tuna (Thunnus atlanticus) is a species of tuna in the family Scombridae. It is occasionally referred to as the Bermuda tuna, blackfinned albacore, or deep bodied tunny. They are the smallest tuna species in the genus Thunnus, generally growing to a maximum of 100 cm (39 in) in length and weighing 21 kg (46 lb). Blackfin tuna are considered tropical, warm water fish. They have a relatively small distribution throughout the Eastern Coast of North and South America. They are located from Massachusetts to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and also inhabit the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The blackfin tuna has less commercial value than its close relatives like the yellowfin, bluefin, and skipjack tuna, but is still a major sport fish in Florida and regions of the Caribbean like Cuba and the Bahamas. However, the taste and quality of blackfin tuna is comparable to that of its popular relatives, and can be prepared in the same ways. It is also sushi grade.
Wikipedia contributors, Blackfin tuna; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:32:39.829136+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Thunnus atlanticus (Lesson, 1831)
- Name authority
- (Lesson, 1831)
- Common name
- blackfin tuna
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Scombriformes
- Family
- Scombridae
- Genus
- Thunnus
- 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
- genusThunnus South, 1845
- speciesThunnus atlanticus (Lesson, 1831)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Thunnus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Northern bluefin tunaThunnus orientalis (Temminck & Schlegel, 1844) | ScombridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Atlantic bluefin tunaThunnus thynnus (Linnaeus, 1758) | ScombridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oriental bonitoThunnus tonggol (Bleeker, 1851) | ScombridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| albacoreThunnus alalunga (Bonnaterre, 1788) | ScombridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Allison tunaThunnus albacares (Bonnaterre, 1788) | ScombridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| southern bluefin tunaThunnus maccoyii (Castelnau, 1872) | ScombridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| big-eye tunaThunnus obesus (Lowe, 1839) | ScombridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Parathunnus ambiguus Mowbray, 1935 Mowbray, 1935 | synonym |
| Parathunnus rosengarteni Fowler, 1934 Fowler, 1934 | synonym |
| Scomber coretta Cuvier, 1829 Cuvier, 1829 | synonym |
| Thynnus balteatus Cuvier, 1832 Cuvier, 1832 | synonym |
| Orcynus balteatus (Cuvier, 1832) (Cuvier, 1832) | synonym |
| Thunnus balteatus (Cuvier, 1832) (Cuvier, 1832) | synonym |
| Thunnus coretta (Cuvier, 1829) (Cuvier, 1829) | synonym |
| Thynnus atlanticus Lesson, 1831 Lesson, 1831 | synonym |
| Thynnus coretta (Cuvier, 1829) (Cuvier, 1829) | synonym |
| Parathunnus atlanticus (Lesson, 1831) (Lesson, 1831) | synonym |
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=159343 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:56P6Z. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.