Scomber japonicus Chub mackerel

Houttuyn, 1782

Distribution:
Indo-Pacific: anti-tropical, absent from the Indian Ocean except for South Africa, KZN to Western Cape.
Replaced by Scomber colias Gmelin 1789 in the Atlantic.
Scomber australasicus is found in the Red Sea and the nothern Indian Ocean, its distribution overlaps with that of Scomber japonicus.

Biology:
A coastal pelagic species, to a lesser extent epipelagic to mesopelagic over the continental slope.
Schooling by size is well developed and initiates at approximately 3 cm; may also form schools with Sarda chiliensis, Trachurus symmetricus and Sardinops sagax.
Adults stay near the bottom during the day; go up to the open water at night, where they feed on copepods and other crustaceans, fishes and squids.
They spawn in batches. Eggs and larvae are pelagic.
In Asian waters, they move to deeper water and remain inactive during the winter season. Commercially cultured in Japan.

Synonymised taxa:
Pneumatophorus diego (Ayres, 1856)
Pneumatophorus japonicus (Houttuyn, 1782)
Pneumatophorus japonicus japonicus (Houttuyn, 1782)
Pneumatophorus peruanus Jordan & Hubbs, 1925
Scomber capensis Cuvier, 1832 (synonym)
Scomber diego Ayres, 1856
Scomber gigas Fowler, 1935 (synonym)
Scomber janesaba Bleeker, 1854
Scomber japonicus japonicus Houttuyn, 1782
Scomber japonicus marplatensis (Lopez, 1955)
Scomber japonicus peruanus (Jordan & Hubbs, 1925)
Scomber joanesaba Bleeker, 1854 (misspelling)
Scomber peruanus (Jordan & Hubbs, 1925)
Scomber pneumatophorus japonicus Temminck & Schlegel, 1844 (synonym)
Scomber saba Bleeker, 1854
Scomber scombrus japonicus Temminck & Schlegel, 1844