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Thyrsites atun (Euphrasen, 1791)

Snoek
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Thyrsites atun   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Thyrsites atun (Snoek)
Thyrsites atun
Picture by Le Noury, P.

Common names from other countries

Escolier, Sierra, Снэк (=баракутта), ... more

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Scombriformes (Mackerels) > Gempylidae (Snake mackerels)
Etymology: Thyrsites: Greek, thyrsites, -ou = stalk of a plant, an ornament like a pine cone borne by Bacchus (Ref. 45335).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 550 m (Ref. 6390), usually 100 - 500 m (Ref. 6181).   Subtropical; 13°C - 18°C (Ref. 6181); 21°S - 56°S, 75°W - 177°E (Ref. 54924)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Southwest Atlantic: Uruguay, Argentina and Tierra del Fuego. Eastern Atlantic: Tristan da Cunha and South Africa. Western Indian Ocean: South Africa and the St. Paul and Amsterdam islands. Eastern Indian Ocean: Tasmania and southern coast of Australia. Southwest Pacific: New Zealand and southern coast of Australia. Southeast Pacific: southern Peru, Chile, and Tierra del Fuego.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm 55.0, range 50 - 60 cm
Max length : 200 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3630); common length : 75.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6181); max. published weight: 6.0 kg (Ref. 6181); max. reported age: 10 years (Ref. 28892)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 19 - 21; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 13; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 10 - 12; Vertebrae: 35. Body elongate and strongly compressed. Lateral line single, running close to the upper contour of the body below most of the first dorsal-fin base then abruptly curving ventrally. Body is dark blue, slightly paler on belly; first dorsal fin membrane black (Ref. 6181).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Inhabit continental shelves or around islands. Feed on pelagic crustaceans (Euphausia, Nyctiphanes), cephalopods and fishes (Ref. 6181) like anchovy and pilchard (Ref. 36731). Form schools near the bottom or midwater; sometimes even at the surface at night (Ref. 6181). Prefers temperature between 13° and 18°C (Ref. 36731). Marketed fresh, smoked, canned and frozen; eaten fried, broiled, microwaved and baked (Ref. 9988). Good for fish and chips or smoking; also made into fillet or fish cake in Japan (Ref. 6181). Commonly called as Baracoutta and because it is a fast predator, several English vessels were named after it. In the UK during WW II, this canned fish was commonly eaten that many older people have an aversion to it (D. Parkyn, pers. comm. 05/2022).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Spawning patterns are complex, with different stock spawning at different times of the year (Ref. 6390).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Parin, Nikolay V. | Collaborators

Nakamura, I. and N.V. Parin, 1993. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 15. Snake mackerels and cutlassfishes of the world (families Gempylidae and Trichiuridae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the snake mackerels, snoeks, escolars, gemfishes, sackfishes, domine, oilfish, cutlassfishes,. scabbardfishes, hairtails, and frostfishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(15):136 p. (Ref. 6181)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Not Evaluated 

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless




Human uses

Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes
FAO(Fisheries: production, species profile; publication : search) | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
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Predators
Ecology
Ecology
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Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
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Abundances
Life cycle
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Egg(s)
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References

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | Faunafri | Fishtrace | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | GOBASE | | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Scirus | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia(Go, Search) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 6.2 - 16, mean 11.2 (based on 285 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 1.0000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00427 (0.00237 - 0.00767), b=3.07 (2.90 - 3.24), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.6   ±0.3 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=2-4; tmax=10).
Prior r = 0.37, 95% CL = 0.25 - 0.56, Based on 1 full stock assessment.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate to high vulnerability (53 of 100).
Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649):  Moderate vulnerability (43 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Very high.