Scomberesocidae

Saury
Scomberesox saurus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Beloniformes
Family:	Scomberesocidae
Genera
See text for genera and species.

Sauries are fish of the family Scomberesocidae. There are two genera, each containing two species.

Sauries are marine epipelagic fish which live in tropical and temperate waters. These fish often jump while swimming near the surface, skimming the water. The jaws of sauries are beak-like, ranging from long, slender beaks to relatively short ones with lower jaw only slightly elongated. The mouth openings of sauries, however, are relatively small and the jaws are weakly toothed. A row of small finlets behind the dorsal and anal fins is also a feature of sauries. An unusual feature of these fish is that they lack swim bladders. Sauries grow to a maximum length of about 46 cm. They are harvested commercially as a food fish.

Sauries first appear in the fossil record in the upper Tertiary, Miocene.

The name Scomberesocidae is derived from the Greek, skombros = tunny/mackerel, and esox = nursery of salmon.

Saury fish are consumed often in Japanese cuisine, where they can be used in sushi (sanmazushi). The fish can also be pan-fried or broiled.

Species

• Genus Cololabis
  • Cololabis adocetus
  • Cololabis saira (Pacific saury)
• Genus Scomberesox (sauries and skippers)
  • Scomberesox forsteri (skipper garfish)
  • Scomberesox saurus (Atlantic saury)

Trivia

The USS Saury (SS-189), a Sargo-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named after this fish.

Reference

• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2005). "Scomberesocidae" in FishBase. November 2005 version.