saury

Saury Fossil range: Miocene–Recent PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scomberesox saurus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Beloniformes Family: Scomberesocidae
Genera
Cololabis Scomberesox

Sauries are fish of the family Scomberesocidae. There are two genera, each containing two species. The name Scomberesocidae is derived from the Greek, skombros = tunny/mackerel, and esox = nursery of salmon.

Sauries are marine epipelagic fish which live in tropical and temperate waters. These fish often jump while swimming near the surface, skimming the water. 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, Cololabus adacetus, which an adult length of just 7.5 centimetres (3.0 in).^[1]

They are harvested commercially as a food fish; Pacific saury are consumed often in Japanese and Korean cuisine. The fish is usually grilled.

Species

• Genus Cololabis
  • Cololabis adocetus
  • Cololabis saira (Pacific saury)
• Genus Scomberesox
  • Scomberesox simulans (Dwarf saury)
  • Scomberesox saurus (Atlantic saury)

Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (December 2008)

The Saury, a Sargo-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for this fish.

See also

• Beloniformes

References

• "Scomberesocidae". FishBase. Ed. Rainer Froese and Daniel Pauly. November 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.