Mackerel scad
Decapterus macarellus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Mackerel scad
- Scientific
- Decapterus macarellus
- Dhivehi
- ރިތް މަސްRimmas
- Group
- Jacks and trevallies
- Maximum size
- Up to about 46 cm (total length); commonly 30 cm (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 32 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Open ocean, near the surface and in mid-water, recorded from 0 to 400 m (usually 40 to 200 m)
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2012
Description
A slender, torpedo-shaped scad, bluish green above and silvery below, with a black spot on the gill cover and a yellowish-green tail. It forms fast-moving schools in clear oceanic waters around islands, usually at 40 to 200 m, feeding on zooplankton. It is a widely used bait and food fish.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name rimmas (MRS 1997). MRS notes that of the five or six Decapterus species in the Indian Ocean, this is the only one then recorded from the Maldives; FishBase now also lists two others.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Decapterus-macarellus.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ރިތް_މަސް
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Decapt_macar_121019-29161_tdp.JPG
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Rimmas' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ރިތް މަސް' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form.