Description: Like other scombrid fishes, the Spanish mackerel is elongate, compressed and torpedo-shaped.  There are 2 dorsal fins, the first of which is triangular in shape and blue-black in color anteriorly.  The second dorsal fin is greenish in color and concave, originating slightly in front of the anal fin, which is similarly shaped and equivalent in size.  A series of 7 - 10 (usually 8) finlets lie posterior to both the second dorsal fin and the anal fin.  The lateral line curves slightly downward towards the caudal peduncle.  The caudal fin is high and lunate, with a narrow caudal peduncle that has a keel.  The pectoral fins are relatively long and lack scales.  Body color is typically dark blue to blue-green dorsally, silver laterally.  The sides are marked with small, yellow to orange oblong spots above the lateral line.  The pectoral fins are pale yellow with orange-brown edges, while the anal and ventral fins are white.  

Habitat:
Typical habitat for Spanish mackerel includes surface waters of nearshore coastal waters and the lower reaches of tidal estuaries and bays where salinity tends to remain above 10 ppt.  Typical depth distribution ranges from 33 - 115 feet.

Similar Species:
The Spanish mackerel is potentially confused with both the cero,  Scomberomorus regalis, and the king mackerel, S. cavalla.  It is easily distinguished from the king mackerel by its oblong yellowish spots above the lateral line, which does not curve downward at the second dorsal fin as is observed in king mackerel.  The cero is distinguished from the Spanish mackerel by 1 - 2 thin, bronze-colored stripes that along the sides, and by scales on the pectoral fins, a feature absent from both Spanish and king mackerels.

Range:
In the western Atlantic, Spanish mackerel inhabit coastal waters from the Gulf of Maine to the Yucatan Peninsula.  During the summer months, they are commonly found as far north as Chesapeake Bay, while in fall and winter, they are most common in the waters off central and southern Florida.