Round scad

The Round scad, Decapterus punctatus, is a species of fish in the Carangidae. It was described in 1829 by the French zoologist, Georges Cuvier. Although the Round scad is considered a good food fish, it is mostly caught for use as bait.

Description

The Round scad is a cigar-shaped fish, with greenish coloration on top and white below. Their opercles usually have a small, black spot. The Round scad has nine spines on its dorsal fin and 30 to 34 soft rays. Their anal fins have only three spines and 26–29 soft rays. Round scad often have a yellow stripe running from the head to the caudal peduncle. The longest Round scad recorded was 30 centimeters long, which is not far from the average estimated adult length of 12 inches (30.48 cm). It is claimed that the heaviest recorded specimen weighed 300 grams.

Distribution and habitat

Known only from the Atlantic ocean, the Round scad is known from Nova Scotia in the north to Rio de Janeiro in the south, including the Caribbean sea and Gulf of Mexico on the western side. On the eastern side, they are known from Morocco in the north to South Africa in the south, including the islands of Madeira, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Ascension Island and St. Helena.