Atlantic mackerel
Scomber scombrus Linnaeus, 1758
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 Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), also known as Boston mackerel, Norwegian mackerel, Scottish mackerel or just mackerel, is a species of mackerel found in the temperate waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the northern Atlantic Ocean, where it is extremely common and occurs in huge shoals in the epipelagic zone down to about 200 m (660 ft). It spends the warmer months close to shore and near the ocean surface, appearing along the coast in spring and departing with the arrival of colder weather in the fall and winter months. During the fall and winter, it migrates out into deeper and more southern water, seeking warmer temperatures. The Atlantic mackerel's body is elongate, steel-blue marked with wavy black lines dorsally and silvery-white ventrally, its snout long and pointed. It possesses two spiny dorsal fins, which are spaced far apart, two pectoral fins, and small caudal and anal fins, also spaced far apart. 4–6 dorsal finlets and 5 anal finlets are typical among members of this species.
Wikipedia contributors, Atlantic mackerel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:38:25.753537+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Scomber scombrus Linnaeus, 1758
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Common name
- Atlantic mackerel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Scombriformes
- Family
- Scombridae
- Genus
- Scomber
- 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
- genusScomber Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesScomber scombrus Linnaeus, 1758
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Scomber. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic chub mackerelScomber colias Gmelin, 1789 | ScombridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Blue mackerelScomber australasicus Cuvier, 1832 | ScombridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Atlantic chub mackerelScomber japonicus Houttuyn, 1782 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Scomber vulgaris Wood, 1837 Wood, 1837 | synonym |
| Scomber scriptus Couch, 1863 Couch, 1863 | synonym |
| Scomber glauciscus Pallas, 1814 Pallas, 1814 | synonym |
| Scomber vernalis Mitchill, 1815 Mitchill, 1815 | synonym |
| Scomber vulgaris Fleming, 1828 Fleming, 1828 | synonym |
| Scomber scomber Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Scomber punctatus Couch, 1849 Couch, 1849 | ambiguous 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.
- Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.542 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:79XKF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.