COLLETTE and RUSSO: SPANISH MACKERELS 



TABLE 26. — Summary of morphometric data of Scom- 

 beromorus regalis. FL = fork length, HL = head 

 length. 



good black and white photograph of a 400 mm 

 specimen from the Virgin Islands in Randall 

 (1968:fig. 134) and a small color photograph in 

 Walls (1975: fig. 410). The drawing published by 

 Goode (1884:pl. 94) is included here as Figure 65. 



Biology. — Little is known about migrations or 

 movements of S. regalis. Young adults are taken 

 throughout the year in small numbers over the 

 Jamaica shelf (Cooper 1982). Around Puerto Rico, 

 spawning takes place virtually all year (Erdman 

 1977). Spawning takes place from April to October 

 at California Bank, south of Jamaica (Cooper 

 1982). The majority offish appeared to be sexually 

 mature during most of the period between August 

 and October in the coastal waters of southern 

 Florida (Finucane and Collins 1984). Fecundity 

 estimates for 20 females 380-800 mm FL ranged 

 from 161,000-2,234,000 (Finucane and Collins 

 1984). The only published reference to eggs and 

 larvae is by Fritzsche (1978:133-135) based on C. 

 A. Mayo's Ph.D. thesis. Food in the West Indies is 

 96% fishes, particularly small schooling clupeoids 

 (Harengula, Jenkinsia, and Opisthonema) and 

 atherinids (Allanetta) but also including squids 

 and shrimps (Randall 1967). 



Interest to fisheries. — Taken commercially with 

 gill nets and on lines in Florida, the West Indies, 

 and the Bahama Islands. Also a valued sportfish 

 taken by trolling with cut bait. It is taken by 

 trolling and with hooks baited with live bait in 

 Jamaica (Cooper 1982). Only 76-106 1 identified as 

 S. regalis were reported from Fishing Area 31 

 (Western Central Atlantic) in 1979-82, all from the 

 Dominican Republic (FAO 1984), but the actual 

 catch is higher because an additional 985-1,108 1 of 

 unidentified Scomberomorus was also reported 

 from this area and this is S. caualla and S. regalis. 



Distribution. — Most abundant in clear waters 

 around reefs in southern Florida, the Bahamas, 

 and West Indies (Fig. 49), but there are scattered 

 records from Cape Cod to Brazil. The northern- 

 most records appear to be Monomoy at the south- 

 ern elbow of Cape Cod (Bigelow and Schroeder 

 1953:348) and Buzzards Bay on the south shore of 

 Cape Cod (Sumner et al. 1913). There are also 

 records from Chesapeake Bay (Hildebrand and 

 Schroeder 1928) and further south along the 

 Atlantic coast of the United States. Several au- 

 thors have reported occurrences in Texas (Baugh- 

 man 1941, 1950; Pew 1954). Reports are scattered 

 from the northern coast of South America-Isla 

 Providencia, Colombia (Garzon and Acero 1983); 

 Colombia (Dahl 1971; USNM 94766), Venezuela 

 (Cervigon 1966; USNM 123081). The southern end 

 of the range is apparently about at Rio de Janeiro 

 (Ribeiro 1915; BMNH 1903.6.9.80). 



Material examined. — Total 60 (76.5-544 mm FL). 



meas.: 53 (76.5-544): Florida (3); Bahamas (6); 



Cuba (5); Hispaniola (3); Jamaica (4); 



Puerto Rico (2); Virgin Is. (13); Antigua 



(1); St. Eustatius (2); Martinique (1); 



Barbados (5); Colombia (1); Curacao (1); 



Venezuela (1); Brazil (3); Mexico (1). 

 counts: 60. 

 diss.: 5 (456-544): Florida (2); Bahamas (3). 



Scomberomorus semifasciatus (Macleay) 



Broad-barred Spanish Mackerel 



Figure 66 



Cybium semifasciatum Macleay 1884a:205-206 

 (original description; Burdekin R., Queensland). 

 Macleay 1884b:28 (Burdekin R.). Whitley 

 1936:40-42 (description in part; AMS IA.1598 

 and IA.6573 = S. queenslandicus (Munro 1943: 



659 



