Cape horse mackerel [SEP] parent taxon
Cape horse mackerel
The Cape horse mackerel ("Trachurus capensis") is a mackerel-like species in the family Carangidae. Their maximum reported length is 60 cm, with a common length of 30 cm.
Cape horse mackerel ("Trachurus capensis") is a pelagic species, usually found to a depth of 300 m. They are mostly found over the continental shelf, often over sandy bottoms. The shoals rise to feed in surface waters at night, but can be found close to the bottom during
of the larger jack and horse mackerel family Carangidae, a group of percoid fishes in the order Perciformes.
The species was first scientifically described by the American ichthyologist Samuel L. Mitchill in 1815, based on a specimen taken from the waters of New York Bay, USA which was designated to be the holotype. He named the species "Scomber crysos" and suggested a common name of 'yellow mackerel', with the specific epithet reflecting this, meaning "gold" in Greek. The taxon has been variably placed in either