English Name: Mackeral scad
Family: CARANGIDAE
Local Name: Rimmas
Order: Perciformes
Size: Max. 32 cm
Specimen: MRS/0070/86
Distinctive Characters: First dorsal fin with 8 spines, second dorsal fin with I spine and 31-37 rays (including finlets). Anal fin with 2 detached spines, followed by 1 spine and 27-31 rays (including finlets). Body very elongate and round. Rear end of upper jaw moderately rounded and slanted anteroventrally. Straight part of lateral line with scales followed by sdutes at back.
Colour: Bluish green above, silvery below. A black opercular blotch distinct. Caudal fin yellowish green. Anal and pelvic fins whitish.
Habitatand Biology: A schooling species, occurring mostly in open water and common in insular habitats. Sometimes at surface, but usually in 40-200 m. Feeds on small planktonic invertebrates.
Distribution: Circumtropical.
Remarks: There are some 5-6 species of Decapterus known from the Indian Ocean, but so far only one, i.e. Decapterus macarellus is recorded from the Maldives.