Scombridae is the
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
of the
mackerelMackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
s,
tunaTuna are ocean-dwelling carnivorous fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers—they have been clocked at —and include several warm-blooded species...
s, and
bonitoBonito is a name given to various species of medium-sized, predatory fish of the genus Sarda, in the mackerel family, including the common or Atlantic bonito and the Pacific bonito....
s, and thus includes many of the most important and familiar food fishes. The family consists of about 55 species in 15 genera and two subfamilies. All species are Scombrinae, except Butterfly kingfish - which is the sole member of subfamily Gasterochismatinae.
Scombrids have two
dorsal finA dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of some fish, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the ichthyosaurs. Depending on the species, an animal can have up to three of them. Its main purpose is to stabilize the animal against rolling and assist in sudden turns...
s, and a series of
finletFish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs light more than air does.- Fins :...
s between the rear dorsal fin and behind the anal fin.
Scombridae is the
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
of the
mackerelMackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
s,
tunaTuna are ocean-dwelling carnivorous fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers—they have been clocked at —and include several warm-blooded species...
s, and
bonitoBonito is a name given to various species of medium-sized, predatory fish of the genus Sarda, in the mackerel family, including the common or Atlantic bonito and the Pacific bonito....
s, and thus includes many of the most important and familiar food fishes. The family consists of about 55 species in 15 genera and two subfamilies. All species are Scombrinae, except Butterfly kingfish - which is the sole member of subfamily Gasterochismatinae.
Scombrids have two
dorsal finA dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of some fish, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the ichthyosaurs. Depending on the species, an animal can have up to three of them. Its main purpose is to stabilize the animal against rolling and assist in sudden turns...
s, and a series of
finletFish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs light more than air does.- Fins :...
s between the rear dorsal fin and behind the anal fin. The caudal fin is strongly divided and rigid, with a slender, ridged, base. The first (spiny) dorsal fin and the pelvic fins are normally retracted into body grooves. Species length varies from the 20 cm length of the island mackerel to the 458 cm recorded for the immense
northern bluefin tunaThe northern bluefin tuna , or giant bluefin tuna, is a species of tuna native to both the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. Although not native to the Pacific Ocean, the species is now commercially cultivated off the Japanese coast...
.
Scombrids are generally predators of the open ocean, and are found worldwide in tropical and temperate waters. They are capable of considerable speed, due to a highly streamlined body and retractable fins. Some members of the family, in particular the
tunaTuna are ocean-dwelling carnivorous fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers—they have been clocked at —and include several warm-blooded species...
s, are notable for being endothermic (warm-blooded), a feature that also helps them to maintain high speed and activity. Other adaptations include a large amount of red muscle, allowing them to maintain activity over long periods. The fastest recorded scombrid is the
wahooThe wahoo is a dark blue scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. Its speed and high-quality flesh make it a prize game fish. In Hawaii, the fish is known as ono...
, which can attain speeds of .
Classification
Jordan, Evermann and Clark (1930) divide these fishes into the four families Cybiidae, Katsuwonidae, Scombridae, and Thunnidae, but this article follows
FishBaseFishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish. , it included descriptions of over 30,000 species, over 260,000 common names in hundreds of languages, over 46,000 pictures, and references to more than 42,000 works in the scientific literature....
in placing them in the single family Scombridae.
There are about fifty species in fourteen genera:
Family
Scombridae
- Subfamily Gasterochismatinae
- Genus Gasterochisma
- Butterfly kingfish
The butterfly kingfish, bigscale mackerel, or butterfly mackerel, Gasterochisma melampus, the only species in the genus Gasterochisma, is found around the world in southern temperate waters, down to 200 m in open water...
, Gasterochisma melampus RichardsonSir John Richardson was a Scottish naval surgeon, naturalist and arctic explorer.Richardson was born at Dumfries. He studied medicine at Edinburgh University , and became a surgeon in the navy in 1807. He traveled with John Franklin in search of the Northwest Passage on the Coppermine Expedition...
, 1845
- Subfamily Scombrinae
- Genus Acanthocybium
- Wahoo
The wahoo is a dark blue scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. Its speed and high-quality flesh make it a prize game fish. In Hawaii, the fish is known as ono...
, Acanthocybium solandri (CuvierGeorges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier was a French naturalist and zoologist. Of humble working class origins, he belonged to a new class of self-made scholars who worked their way to the top of academe...
, 1832).
- Genus Allothunnus
- Slender tuna
The slender tuna, Allothunnus fallai, is a species of tuna, the only species in the genus Allothunnus, found around the world in the southern oceans between latitudes 20° and 50° South...
, Allothunnus fallai Serventy, 1948.
- Genus Auxis
Auxis is a genus of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, all of which are tuna, although other tuna species are found in other genera.-Species:There are two species:* Bullet Tuna, Auxis rochei
....
- Auxis rochei eudorax Collette & Aadland, 1996
- Bullet tuna
The bullet tuna, Auxis rochei rochei, is a subspecies of tuna, in the family Scombridae, found circumglobally in tropical oceans in open surface waters to depths of 50 m . Its maximum length is 50.0 cm....
, Auxis rochei rochei (Rafinesque, 1810)
- Auxis thazard brachydorax Collette & Aadland, 1996
- Frigate tuna
The frigate tuna or frigate mackerel, Auxis thazard thazard, is a subspecies of tuna, in the family Scombridae, found around the world in tropical oceans.-References:...
, Auxis thazard thazard (Lacepède, 1800)
- Genus Cybiosarda
- Leaping bonito, Cybiosarda elegans (Whitley
Gilbert Percy Whitley was a British-born Australian ichthyologist who was Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum in Sydney for about 40 years. He was born at Swaythling, Southampton, England, and was educated at King Edward VI School, Southampton and Osborne House...
, 1935).
- Genus Euthynnus
- Kawakawa, Euthynnus affinis (Cantor
Theodore Edward Cantor was a Danish physician, zoologist and botanist.Cantor worked for the British East India Company. He made natural history collections in Penang and Malacca.He was the author of...
, 1849).
- Little tunny
Little Tunny is a small Tuna found in warm temperate and tropical waters of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Occuring in large schools, and weighing up to 26 pounds,it is one of the smallest members of the tuna family. Commonly called "false albacore" or "albie"...
, Euthynnus alletteratus (Rafinesque, 1810).
- Black skipjack, Euthynnus lineatus Kishinouye, 1920.
- Genus Grammatorcynus
- Shark mackerel, Grammatorcynus bicarinatus (Quoy
Jean René Constant Quoy was a French zoologist.Along with Joseph Paul Gaimard he served as naturalist aboard La Coquille under Louis Isidore Duperrey during its circumnavigation of the globe , and the Astrolabe under the command of Jules Dumont d'Urville...
& GaimardJoseph Paul Gaimard was a French naturalist.Along with Jean René Constant Quoy he served as naturalist aboard the ships La Coquille under Louis Isidore Duperrey, and L'Astrolabe under the command of Jules Dumont d'Urville between 1826 and 1829...
, 1825).
- Double-lined mackerel
The double-lined mackerel, Grammatorcynus bilineatus, is a species in the family Scombridae. It is a commercial fish and is distributed from the Red Sea to the Andaman Sea, also from the northern coast of Australia to the Ryukyu Islands, as far as Fiji. It is mostly found in shallow waters....
, Grammatorcynus bilineatus (RüppellWilhelm Peter Eduard Simon Rüppell was a German naturalist and explorer. Rüppell is occasionally transliterated to "Rueppell" for the English alphabet....
, 1836).
- Genus Gymnosarda
- Dogtooth tuna
The dogtooth tuna is a large fast-swimming fish in the family Scombridae. It is one of the apex non-pelagic predators of its range . It is not a true tuna, but is closely related to the bonitos...
, Gymnosarda unicolor (RüppellWilhelm Peter Eduard Simon Rüppell was a German naturalist and explorer. Rüppell is occasionally transliterated to "Rueppell" for the English alphabet....
, 1836).
- Genus Katsuwonus
- Skipjack tuna
The skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae. It is otherwise known as the aku, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna, or victor fish...
, Katsuwonus pelamis (LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature...
, 1758).
- Genus Orcynopsis
- Plain bonito, Orcynopsis unicolor (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire
Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire was a French naturalist who established the principle of "unity of composition". He was a colleague of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and expanded and defended Lamarck's evolutionary theories...
, 1817).
- Genus Rastrelliger
- Short mackerel, Rastrelliger brachysoma (Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1851).
- Island mackerel, Rastrelliger faughni Matsui, 1967.
- Indian mackerel, Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier
Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier was a French naturalist and zoologist. Of humble working class origins, he belonged to a new class of self-made scholars who worked their way to the top of academe...
, 1816).
- Genus Sarda
- Australian bonito
The Australian bonito, horse mackerel or little bonito, Sarda australis, a fish of the family Scombridae, is found around eastern Australia and New Zealand in depths to about 30 m , in open water...
, Sarda australis (Macleay, 1881).
- Eastern Pacific bonito, Sarda chiliensis chiliensis (Cuvier
Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier was a French naturalist and zoologist. Of humble working class origins, he belonged to a new class of self-made scholars who worked their way to the top of academe...
, 1832).
- Pacific bonito
Pacific bonito, Sarda chiliensis lineolata, is a marine species of bonito that is a game fighter but which is not highly thought of as a food fish....
, Sarda chiliensis lineolata (GirardCharles Frédéric Girard was a French biologist specializing on ichthyology and herpetology.Born in Mulhouse, France, he studied at the College of Neuchâtel, Switzerland as a student of Louis Agassiz. In 1847, he accompanied Agassiz as his assistant to Harvard...
, 1858).
- Striped bonito, Sarda orientalis (Temminck
Coenraad Jacob Temminck was a Dutch aristocrat and zoologist.Temminck was the first director of the National Natural History Museum at Leiden from 1820 until his death. His Manuel d'ornithologie, ou Tableau systematique des oiseaux qui se trouvent en Europe was the standard work on European birds...
& SchlegelHermann Schlegel was a German ornithologist.-Early life and education:Schlegel was born at Altenburg, the son of a brassfounder. His father collected butterflies, which stimulated Schlegel's interest in natural history...
, 1844).
- Atlantic bonito
The Atlantic bonito, Sarda sarda is a large mackerel-like fish of the family Scombridae. It is common in shallow waters of the Atlantic Ocean where it is an important commercial and game fish.-Description:...
, Sarda sarda (BlochMarcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
, 1793).
- Genus Scomber
Scomber is a genus of ocean-dwelling mackerels in the family Scombridae.-Species:FishBase lists four species:* Blue mackerel, Scomber australasicus
Cuvier, 1832....
- Blue mackerel
The blue mackerel, Japanese mackerel, Pacific mackerel, slimy mackerel, or spotted chub mackerel, Scomber australasicus, a fish of the family Scombridae, is found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific Ocean, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Gulf of Aden, in surface waters down to...
, Scomber australasicus CuvierGeorges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier was a French naturalist and zoologist. Of humble working class origins, he belonged to a new class of self-made scholars who worked their way to the top of academe...
, 1832.
- Atlantic chub mackerel, Scomber colias Gmelin
Johann Friedrich Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist and entomologist.- Education :Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp Friedrich Gmelin in 1748 in Tübingen...
, 1789.
- Chub mackerel
The chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus, also known as the Pacific mackerel or blue mackerel and sometimes referred to as a "hardhead" or "bullseye", closely resembles the Atlantic mackerel.-Identification:...
, Scomber japonicus HouttuynMaarten Houttuyn or Houttuijn , Latinised as Martinus Houttuyn, was a Dutch naturalist.Houttuyn was born in Hoorn, studied medicine in Leiden and moved to Amsterdam in 1753. He published many books on natural history. His areas of interest encompassed Pteridophytes, Bryophytes and Spermatophytes...
, 1782.
- Atlantic mackerel
The Atlantic mackerel , is a pelagic schooling species of mackerel found on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean. The species is also called Boston mackerel, or just mackerel....
, Scomber scombrus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature...
, 1758.
- Genus Scomberomorus
Scomberomorus is a genus of mackerels in the family Scombridae.-Species:FishBase lists 18 species:* Serra Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus brasiliensis
Collette, Russo & Zavala-Camin, 1978....
- Serra Spanish mackerel
The ', Scomberomorus brasiliensis, is a species of fish in the family Scombridae. Specimens have been recorded at up to 125 cm in length, and weighing up to 6,710 g. It is found in the western Atlantic, along the Caribbean and Atlantic coasts of Central and South America from Belize to Rio Grande...
, Scomberomorus brasiliensis Collette, Russo & Zavala-Camin, 1978.
- King mackerel
The king mackerel is a migratory species of mackerel of the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. It is an important species to both the commercial and recreational fishing industries.-Description:...
, Scomberomorus cavalla (CuvierGeorges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier was a French naturalist and zoologist. Of humble working class origins, he belonged to a new class of self-made scholars who worked their way to the top of academe...
, 1829).
- Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel
The Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus commerson, is a mackerel of the Scombridae family. It is found in a wide ranging area centering in South-east Asia but as far west as the east coast of Africa and from the Middle East and along the northern coastal areas of the Indian Ocean, and as...
, Scomberomorus commerson (Lacépède, 1800).
- Monterrey Spanish mackerel
The Monterrey Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus concolor, is a species of fish in the Scombridae family. It is endemic to Mexico.-References:* Safina, C. 1996. . Downloaded on 05 August 2007....
, Scomberomorus concolor (Lockington, 1879).
- Indo-Pacific king mackerel
Indo-Pacific king mackerel or popularly seer fish is a sea fish among the mackerel variety of fishes. It is found in around the Indian ocean and adjoining seas....
, Scomberomorus guttatus (BlochMarcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
& SchneiderJohann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider was a German classicist and naturalist.Schneider was born at Koilmen in Saxony...
, 1801).
- Korean seerfish, Scomberomorus koreanus (Kishinouye, 1915).
- Streaked seerfish, Scomberomorus lineolatus (Cuvier
Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier was a French naturalist and zoologist. Of humble working class origins, he belonged to a new class of self-made scholars who worked their way to the top of academe...
, 1829).
- Atlantic Spanish mackerel
The Atlantic Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus maculatus, is a migratory species of mackerel that swimsto northern Gulf of Mexico in spring, return to south Florida in eastern gulf, and to Mexico in western gulf in fall.-Description:...
, Scomberomorus maculatus (Couch, 1832).
- Papuan seerfish
The Papuan seerfish, Scomberomorus multiradiatus, is a species of fish in the Scombridae family. It is endemic to the Gulf of Papua off the mouth of the Fly River. It is the smallest species in the genus Scomberomorus. Sexual maturity is attained at much less than 30 cm fork length. Its...
, Scomberomorus multiradiatus Munro, 1964.
- Australian spotted mackerel
The ', Scomberomorus munroi, is a species of fish in the family Scombridae. Common fork length ranges between 50 to 80 cm. Specimens have been recorded at up to 104 cm in length, and weighing up to 10.2 kg...
, Scomberomorus munroi Collette & Russo, 1980.
- Japanese Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus niphonius (Cuvier
Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier was a French naturalist and zoologist. Of humble working class origins, he belonged to a new class of self-made scholars who worked their way to the top of academe...
, 1832).
- Kanadi kingfish
The Kanadi kingfish, Scomberomorus plurilineatus, is a species of fish in the family Scombridae. It is found in subtropical waters of the western Indian Ocean, Seychelles, Kenya and Zanzibar to South Africa and along the west coast of Madagascar. commonly occur in depths of 50 to 200 m. Specimens...
, Scomberomorus plurilineatus Fourmanoir, 1966.
- Queensland school mackerel
The Queensland school mackerel, Scomberomorus queenslandicus, is a species of fish in the family Scombridae. It is found in tropical waters of the western Pacific, largely confined to inshore coastal waters of southern Papua New Guinea and northern and eastern Australia, from Shark Bay and Onslow,...
, Scomberomorus queenslandicus Munro, 1943.
- Cero mackerel
The Cero mackerel, Scomberomorus regalis, is similar in appearance and coloration to the Atlantic Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus maculatus except that the Cero has a longitudinal stripe in addition to the spots of the Spanish....
, Scomberomorus regalis (BlochMarcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
, 1793).
- Broadbarred king mackerel
The Broadbarred king mackerel, Scomberomorus semifasciatus, is a species of fish in the family Scombridae. It is found in tropical waters of the western Pacific, along the northern coast of Australia and the southern coast of Papua New Guinea, from Shark Bay, Western Australia to northern New South...
, Scomberomorus semifasciatus (Macleay, 1883).
- Pacific sierra, Scomberomorus sierra Jordan & Starks, 1895.
- Chinese seerfish, Scomberomorus sinensis (Lacépède, 1800).
- West African Spanish mackerel
The ', Scomberomorus tritor, is a species of fish in the family Scombridae. Specimens have been recorded at up to 100 cm in length, and weighing up to 6 kg...
, Scomberomorus tritor (CuvierGeorges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier was a French naturalist and zoologist. Of humble working class origins, he belonged to a new class of self-made scholars who worked their way to the top of academe...
, 1832).
- Genus Thunnus
Thunnus is a genus of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, all of which are tuna, although other tuna species are found in other genera...
- Albacore
The albacore, Thunnus alalunga, is a type of tuna in the family Scombridae. This species is also called albacore fish, albacore tuna, longfin, albies, pigfish, tombo ahi, binnaga, Pacific albacore, German bonito , longfin tuna, longfin tunny, or even just tuna...
, Thunnus alalunga (BonnaterreAbbé Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre was a French naturalist who contributed sections on cetaceans, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects to the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique...
, 1788).
- Yellowfin tuna
The yellowfin tuna is a species of tuna found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide.The yellowfin tuna is often marketed as ahi tuna, from its Hawaiian name ahi although the name ahi in Hawaiian also refers to the closely related bigeye tuna...
, Thunnus albacares (BonnaterreAbbé Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre was a French naturalist who contributed sections on cetaceans, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects to the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique...
, 1788).
- Blackfin tuna
Blackfin tuna is the smallest tuna species in the Thunnus genus, generally growing to a maximum of in length and weighing 21kg . Blackfin have football shaped bodies, black backs with a slight yellow on the finlets, and have yellow on the sides of their body...
, Thunnus atlanticus (LessonRené Primevère Lesson was a French surgeon and naturalist.Lesson was born at Rochefort, and at the age of sixteen he entered the Naval Medical School there...
, 1831).
- Southern bluefin tuna
The southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii, is a tuna of the family Scombridae found in open southern hemisphere waters of all the worlds oceans mainly between 30°S and 50°S, to nearly 60°S...
, Thunnus maccoyii (CastelnauFrançois Louis Nompar de Caumont La Force, comte de Castelnau was a French naturalist. Known also as François Laporte or Francis de Castelnau...
, 1872).
- Bigeye tuna
The bigeye tuna, Thunnus obesus, is an important food fish and highly sought after recreational game fish. It is a member of the true tunas of the genus Thunnus, belonging to the wider mackerel family Scombridae....
, Thunnus obesus (Lowe, 1839).
- Pacific bluefin tuna
Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis are some of the biggest and fastest fish in the Pacific Ocean.The tuna possesses a streamlined body to reduce water resistance and conserve energy for trans-Pacific migrations...
, Thunnus orientalis (TemminckCoenraad Jacob Temminck was a Dutch aristocrat and zoologist.Temminck was the first director of the National Natural History Museum at Leiden from 1820 until his death. His Manuel d'ornithologie, ou Tableau systematique des oiseaux qui se trouvent en Europe was the standard work on European birds...
& SchlegelHermann Schlegel was a German ornithologist.-Early life and education:Schlegel was born at Altenburg, the son of a brassfounder. His father collected butterflies, which stimulated Schlegel's interest in natural history...
, 1844).
- Northern bluefin tuna
The northern bluefin tuna , or giant bluefin tuna, is a species of tuna native to both the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. Although not native to the Pacific Ocean, the species is now commercially cultivated off the Japanese coast...
, Thunnus thynnus (LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature...
, 1758).
- Longtail tuna, Thunnus tonggol (Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia....
, 1851).
Popular culture
Upon winning the 2007
Scripps National Spelling BeeThe Scripps National Spelling Bee is a highly competitive annual spelling bee in the United States, with participants from other countries as well. It is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W...
, champion Evan M. O'Dorney appeared on CNN with
Kiran ChetryKiran Carrie Chetry is co-anchor of CNN's morning news program, American Morning.-Biography:Kiran was born in Shanta Bhawan Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal...
. Chetry challenged the boy to spell the word "Scombridae," and O'Dorney failed in his attempt, citing a supposed mispronunciation as cause of his failure. Since then, the video has surfaced online, becoming something of an
internet fadA meme is a postulated unit or element of cultural ideas, symbols or practices, and is transmitted from one mind to another through speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena...
and introducing the word Scombridae into mainstream
vernacularVernacular is the native language of a country or a locality. In general linguistics, it is used to describe local languages as opposed to lingua francas, official standards or global languages. It is sometimes applied to nonstandard dialects of a global language...
.