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'Snake mackerel' are perciform fishes in the family 'Gempylidae'.
They are elongate fishes with a similar appearance to barracudas, having a long dorsal fin, usually with one or finlets trailing it. The largest species, including the snoek, ''Thyrsites atun'', grow up to two metres long.
They are deep-water benthopelagic fishes, and several species are important commercial and game fishes.

Contents

Species

References

Species

There are 24 species in sixteen genera:

★ Genus ''Diplospinus''

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★ Striped escolar, ''Diplospinus multistriatus'' Maul, 1948.

★ Genus ''Epinnula''

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★ Domine, ''Epinnula magistralis'' Poey, 1854.

★ Genus ''Gempylus''

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★ ''Gempylus serpens'' Cuvier, 1829.

★ Genus ''Lepidocybium''

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★ Escolar, ''Lepidocybium flavobrunneum'' (Smith, 1843).

★ Genus ''Nealotus''

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★ Black snake mackerel, ''Nealotus tripes'' Johnson, 1865.

★ Genus ''Neoepinnula''

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★ American sackfish, ''Neoepinnula americana'' (Grey, 1953).

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★ Sackfish, ''Neoepinnula orientalis'' (Gilchrist & von Bonde, 1924).

★ Genus ''Nesiarchus''

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★ Black gemfish, ''Nesiarchus nasutus'' Johnson, 1862.

★ Genus ''Paradiplospinus''

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★ Antarctic escolar, ''Paradiplospinus antarcticus'' Andriashev, 1960.

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★ Slender escolar, ''Paradiplospinus gracilis'' (Brauer, 1906).

★ Genus ''Promethichthys''

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★ Roudi escolar, ''Promethichthys prometheus'' (Cuvier, 1832).

★ Genus ''Rexea''

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★ ''Rexea alisae'' Roberts & Stewart, 1997.

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★ Long-finned escolar, ''Rexea antefurcata'' Parin, 1989.

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★ Bengal escolar, ''Rexea bengalensis'' (Alcock, 1894).

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★ Short-lined escolar, ''Rexea brevilineata'' Parin, 1989.

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★ Nakamura's escolar, ''Rexea nakamurai'' Parin, 1989.

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★ Royal escolar, ''Rexea prometheoides'' (Bleeker, 1856).

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★ Silver gemfish or Gemfish, ''Rexea solandri'' (Cuvier, 1832).

★ Genus ''Rexichthys''

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★ Paxton's escolar, ''Rexichthys johnpaxtoni'' Parin & Astakhov, 1987.

★ Genus ''Ruvettus''

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★ Oilfish, ''Ruvettus pretiosus'' Cocco, 1833.

★ Genus ''Thyrsites''

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★ Snoek, ''Thyrsites atun'' (Euphrasen, 1791).

★ Genus ''Thyrsitoides''

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★ Black snoek, ''Thyrsitoides marleyi'' Fowler, 1929.

★ Genus ''Thyrsitops''

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★ White snake mackerel, ''Thyrsitops lepidopoides'' (Cuvier, 1832).

★ Genus ''Tongaichthys''

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★ Tonga escolar, ''Tongaichthys robustus'' Nakamura & Fujii, 1983.
The longfin escolar, ''Scombrolabrax heterolepis'', was formerly classified in this family, but it is now placed in its own family Scombrolabracidae.

References

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