COLLETTE and RUSSO: SPANISH MACKERELS 



with a straight intestine (Fig. 3k). The other 

 species have two or four loops. Scapular foramen 

 small as in S. guttatus and S. koreanus. Intercalar 

 spine absent as in the six species of the regalis 

 group. Supracleithrum wide, 55-62% of length, as 

 in S. lineolatus. 



Description. — Lateral line gradually descending 

 to midline on caudal peduncle. Spines in first 

 dorsal fin 19-21, usually 20 (Table 9); second dorsal 

 fin rays 15-19, usually 16-18 (Table 10); dorsal 

 finlets 7-9, usually 8 (Table 10); anal fin rays 16- 

 20, usually 17 or 18 (Table 11); anal finlets 6-9, 

 usually 8 or 9 (Table 11); pectoral fin rays 21-23, 

 usually 22 (Table 12). Precaudal vertebrae 21-23, 

 usually 22 (Table 6); caudal vertebrae 27 or 28, 

 usually 27 (Table 7); total vertebrae 48-50, usually 

 49 (Table 8). Gill rakers on first arch (2-3) + (9- 

 12)= 11-15, usually 2 + (10-11) = 12-13 (Table 5). 

 Morphometric characters given in Table 23. 



Size. — Maximum size 100 cm FL, 4.5 kg in weight 

 (Kishinouye 1923). Age and growth studies have 

 been published by Hamada and Iwai (1967), Kim 

 (1970), and Liu et al. (1982). 



Color pattern. — Kishinouye (1923:422) described 

 S. niphonius as shining with a metallic lustre. 

 Dorsum light greyish blue washed with green, 

 belly silvery. Seven or more rows of longitudinal 

 spots on the sides. Some spots connected together 

 (Fig. 62). There are more numerous, smaller spots 

 than in S. munroi, about pupil size (Collette and 

 Russo 1980). Anterior quarter of first dorsal fin 

 and a narrow distal margin of the rest of the dorsal 

 fin black, most of basal membranes of posterior 

 three-quarters of fin white. 



There are color paintings of S. niphonius in 

 Kamohara (1967:pl. 22) and Anonymous (1975:pl. 

 184), a color photograph in Masuda et al. (1975:79), 

 and a good black and white illustration in Kishi- 

 nouye (1923:fig. 32). We (Collette and Russo 1980: 

 fig. lb) included the drawing that is presented 

 here in the paper describing S. munroi. 



Biology. — There are two migrations in the Inland 

 Sea of Japan, a spawning migration in the spring 

 (March to June) and feeding migration in the fall 

 (September to November) according to Hamada 

 and Iwai (1967). The spawning season in Japan is 

 from April to May (Kishinouye 1923). The ripe 



TABLE 23. — Summary of morphometric data of Seomberomorus niphonius. FL = fork length, HL 



head length. 



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