Indian mackerel
Rastrelliger kanagurta
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Indian mackerel
- Scientific
- Rastrelliger kanagurta
- Dhivehi
- ކަރަވެރި މަސްKaraverimas
- Maximum size
- Up to about 36 cm (male); commonly 25 cm; max. published weight 00 g (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 35 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Open water over reefs and the atoll shelf, recorded from 20 to 90 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2022
Description
A small mackerel, blue-green above and silvery with a golden tint, with narrow dark lines along the upper body and a black spot near the pectoral fin. It forms large schools and filters plankton through its gill rakers with its mouth wide open.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name karaverimas (MRS 1997). MRS notes it occurs only irregularly in central and southern Maldives but more regularly in the north, especially during the northeast monsoon.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Rastrelliger-kanagurta.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ކަރަވެރި_މަސް
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Rastrelliger_kanagurta_JNC2855.JPG
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Karaverimas' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ކަރަވެރި މަސް' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form.