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| Scomberesocidae Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| Scomberesox saurus | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Beloniformes |
| Superfamily: | Scomberesocoidea |
| Family: | Scomberesocidae J. P. Müller, 1843 |
| Genera | |
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see text | |
Sauries are fish of the family Scomberesocidae. There are two genera, each containing two species. The name Scomberesocidae is derived from scomber (which in turn is derived from the Greek skombros, meaning 'mackerel') and the Latin esox meaning pike.[1]
Sauries are marine epipelagic fish which live in tropical and temperate waters. These fish often jump while swimming near the surface, skimming the water, which is similar to flying fish, a fellow member of the order Beloniformes. The jaws of sauries are beak-like, ranging from long, slender beaks to relatively short ones with the lower jaw only slightly elongated. The mouth openings of sauries, however, are small and the jaws have weak teeth. The most distinctive feature of sauries, however, is the presence of a row of small finlets behind the dorsal and anal fins. They also lack swim bladders. Sauries grow to a maximum length of about 46 centimetres (18 in), but the group also includes the smallest of all epipelagic fish, Cololabis adocetus, with an adult length of just 7.5 centimetres (3.0 in).[2]
They are harvested commercially as a food fish; Pacific saury are consumed often in Japanese and Korean cuisine. The fish is usually grilled.
The Saury, a Sargo-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for this fish.
Genera
[edit]There are two recognised genera within the family Scomberesocidae:[3]
- Cololabis Gill, 1896
- Scomberesox Lacepède, 1803
The extinct genus, Praescomberesox, is a potential member of the family, and is known by fossil scales from the Late Eocene of California.[4]
Some researchers consider these two genera as members of Belonidae, rendering this family as its synonym;[5] the following cladogram is based on a phylogenetic analysis of both genetics and morphology by Lovejoy (2007), with Scomberesocidae being sister to the genus Belone:[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Christopher Scharpf; Kenneth J. Lazara (15 June 2019). "Order BELONIFORMES (Needlefishes)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
- ^ Collette, B.B. & Parin, N.V. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 144. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ^ J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. p. 369. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6.
- ^ David, Lorre R. (1946). "Some Typical Upper Eogene Fish Scales from California". Contributions to Paleontology. IV.
- ^ Betancur-R, Ricardo; Wiley, Edward O.; Arratia, Gloria; Acero, Arturo; Bailly, Nicolas; Miya, Masaki; Lecointre, Guillaume; Ortí, Guillermo (6 July 2017). "Phylogenetic classification of bony fishes" (PDF). BMC Evolutionary Biology. 17 (1): 162. Bibcode:2017BMCEE..17..162B. doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0958-3. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 5501477. PMID 28683774.
- ^ Lovejoy, Nathan R. (9 May 2007). "REINTERPRETING RECAPITULATION: SYSTEMATICS OF NEEDLEFISHES AND THEIR ALLIES (TELEOSTEI: BELONIFORMES)". Society for the Study of Evolution. doi:10.1111/j.0014-3820.2000.tb00567.x. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Scomberesocidae". FishBase. August 2012 version.