COLLETTE and RUSSO: SPANISH MACKERELS 



white, anal fin light silvery grey, and anal finlets 

 silvery grey. First dorsal fin black (bright steely 

 blue in fresh specimens according to Munro) with 

 blotches of white toward bases of more posterior 

 membranes in some specimens. First dorsal fin 

 membranes entirely black in holotype (Fig. 61). 

 Most other species of Scomberomorus with more 

 extensive white areas on posterior half or middle 

 third of dorsal fin. 



An excellent black and white illustration of S. 

 munroi drawn by Munro has appeared several 

 times in the literature (Munro 1943, 1958a; 

 Roughley 1951; Marshall 1964, 1966) and another 

 drawing by George Coates has been published by 

 Grant (1965 and subsequent editions). We (Col- 

 lette and Russo 1980) illustrated the holotype with 

 the same figure that is included here. Grant has 

 included a color photograph of a freshly caught 

 specimen in the last three editions of his book 

 (1972:pl. 41, 1978:pl. 73, 1982:pl. 323). A photo- 

 graph was included by Lewis (1981:18). 



Biology. — At the end of summer in the Southern 

 Hemisphere (December to April or May), large 

 schools of S. munroi move close inshore along the 



TABLE 22. — Summary of morphometric data of Scom- 

 beromorus munroi. FL = fork length, HL = head 

 length. 



coast of Queensland from Double Island Point to 

 Southport (Grant 1982). Other biological informa- 

 tion is lacking on this species. 



Interest to fisheries. — Together with Grammator- 

 cynus and three other species of Scomberomorus , 

 mackerel fishing is Queensland's second major 

 finfishery with an annual output of about 1,000 

 tons of whole and filleted fish (Anonymous 1978). 

 The best catches are made by drifting or anchoring 

 over inshore Queensland reefs and fishing with 

 lines baited with small fish on a gang of three or 

 four linked hooks (Grant 1982). Also taken by 

 trawlers in the Gulf of Papua. 



Distribution. — Inshore coastal waters of the 

 northern coast of Australia (Fig. 58) from Abrol- 

 hos Islands region in Western Australia to Coffs 

 Harbour and Kempsey in northern and central 

 New South Wales (Munro 1943, 1958a; Serventy 

 1950; Whitley 1964a; Lewis 1981) and Gulf of 

 Papua along southern coast of Papua New Guinea 

 from Kerema to Port Moresby (Kailola 1974, 

 1975). Previously referred to as S. niphonius in 

 Australia (Munro 1943). 



Material examined. —Total 19 (296-820 mm FL). 



meas. 



counts: 

 diss.: 



19 (296-820): Papua New Guinea (12); 

 Australia: N. Territory (3); Queensland 

 (3, *S. munroi); W Australia (1). 

 19. 



4 (373-800): New Guinea (3); Queens- 

 land (1). 



Scomberomorus niphonius (Cuvier) 

 Japanese Spanish Mackerel 



Figure 62 



Cybium niphonium Cuvier in Cuvier and Valen- 

 ciennes 1831:180-181 (original description based 

 on a figure of a specimen from Japan). Tem- 

 minck and Schlegel 1844:101-102 (description), 

 pi. 53, fig. 2 (color painting of adult). Richard- 

 son 1846:268 (Sea of Japan). Gunther 1860:371 

 (description after Cuvier and Temminck and 

 Schlegel). Gunther 1880:66 (Inland Sea, Ja- 

 pan). Kitahara 1897:3 (description), fig. 11. 

 Kishinouye 1915:10 (description), pi. 1, fig. 4. 

 *Kishinouye 1923:421-424 (description, biolo- 

 gy), pi. 15, fig. 6 (soft anatomy in color); pi. 16, 

 fig. 9 (transverse section of vertebrae); pi. 20, 

 fig. 32 (adult); pi. 24, fig. 41 (skull and vertebral 



649 



