Scombriformes, also known as Pelagia or Pelagiaria, is an order of ray-finned fish within the clade Percomorpha. It contains 287 extant species in 16 families, most of which were previously classified under the suborders Scombroidei and Stromateoidei of the order Perciformes.

The earliest known scombriform is the scombrid Landanichthys from the Middle Paleocene of Angola.

Taxonomic history and definition

The order Scombriformes was originally established in 1859 by the Dutch physician and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker. However, the taxa assigned to this group were later placed within the order Perciformes, specifically in the suborder Scombroidei (mackerel-like fishes).

With the advent of cladistics and DNA comparison methods for phylogenetic analysis, it became evident that the traditional Scombroidei was not a monophyletic group (a natural clade). Consequently, an attempt by E. O. Wiley and G. David Johnson to remove Scombroidei from Perciformes and elevate it to the order Scombriformes did not result in a monophyletic order, as it did not account for emerging DNA evidence regarding relationships among percomorphs.

In a 2013 revision of bony fish systematics by Ricardo Betancur-R and colleagues, Scombriformes was redefined with a new composition, comprising 16 families that had previously been assigned to six different suborders of Perciformes. This relationship was subsequently confirmed by Thomas J. Near and colleagues in their phylogenetic study of Acanthomorpha.

In mid-2013, Masaki Miya, Matt Friedman, and colleagues described a clade with the same composition under the new name **Pelagia**, referencing the fact that these are predominantly pelagic fishes inhabiting the open ocean.

Miya and Friedman defined Pelagia as a node-based taxon comprising the most recent common ancestor of the following species and all its descendants:

Characteristics

The close relationship of the groups currently assigned to Scombriformes is based primarily on molecular biological studies and is not yet supported by unique morphological traits (synapomorphies) for the order as a whole. However, the monophyly of the suborder Stromateoidei is supported by eight morphological synapomorphies. In general, the majority of species are pelagic, open-ocean dwellers.

Fossil record

The earliest known scombriform is the scombrid Landanichthys from the Middle Paleocene of Angola. The fossil family †Carangodidae is known from the Eocene of Italy.

Taxonomy

Scombriformes includes the following families:

Phylogeny

The phylogenetic relationships within Scombriformes are shown in this cladogram from Near & Thacker (2024):

ScombriformesArripis pan‑stromateoids †Pinichthys Stromateidae Ariomma Nomeidae Icosteus aenigmaticus Centrolophidae pan‑pomatomids †Carangopsis Pomatomus saltatrix Scombridae Amarsipus carlsbergi Tetragonurus pan‑chiasmodontids †Bannikovichthys Chiasmodontidae Bramidae Caristiidae Scombrolabrax heterolepis pan‑gempyloids †Argestichthys Lepidocybium flavobrunneum Gempylidae †Anenchelum Trichiuridae
Arripis
pan‑stromateoids †Pinichthys Stromateidae Ariomma Nomeidae Icosteus aenigmaticus Centrolophidae pan‑pomatomids †Carangopsis Pomatomus saltatrix Scombridae Amarsipus carlsbergi Tetragonurus pan‑chiasmodontids †Bannikovichthys Chiasmodontidae Bramidae Caristiidae Scombrolabrax heterolepis pan‑gempyloids †Argestichthys Lepidocybium flavobrunneum Gempylidae †Anenchelum Trichiuridae
pan‑stromateoids †Pinichthys Stromateidae Ariomma Nomeidae
pan‑stromateoids†Pinichthys Stromateidae Ariomma Nomeidae
†Pinichthys
Stromateidae Ariomma Nomeidae
Stromateidae
Ariomma Nomeidae
Ariomma
Nomeidae
Icosteus aenigmaticus Centrolophidae pan‑pomatomids †Carangopsis Pomatomus saltatrix Scombridae Amarsipus carlsbergi Tetragonurus pan‑chiasmodontids †Bannikovichthys Chiasmodontidae Bramidae Caristiidae Scombrolabrax heterolepis pan‑gempyloids †Argestichthys Lepidocybium flavobrunneum Gempylidae †Anenchelum Trichiuridae
Icosteus aenigmaticus Centrolophidae pan‑pomatomids †Carangopsis Pomatomus saltatrix
Icosteus aenigmaticus
Centrolophidae pan‑pomatomids †Carangopsis Pomatomus saltatrix
Centrolophidae
pan‑pomatomids†Carangopsis Pomatomus saltatrix
†Carangopsis
Pomatomus saltatrix
Scombridae Amarsipus carlsbergi Tetragonurus pan‑chiasmodontids †Bannikovichthys Chiasmodontidae Bramidae Caristiidae Scombrolabrax heterolepis pan‑gempyloids †Argestichthys Lepidocybium flavobrunneum Gempylidae †Anenchelum Trichiuridae
Scombridae Amarsipus carlsbergi Tetragonurus pan‑chiasmodontids †Bannikovichthys Chiasmodontidae
Scombridae
Amarsipus carlsbergi Tetragonurus pan‑chiasmodontids †Bannikovichthys Chiasmodontidae
Amarsipus carlsbergi
Tetragonurus pan‑chiasmodontids †Bannikovichthys Chiasmodontidae
Tetragonurus
pan‑chiasmodontids†Bannikovichthys Chiasmodontidae
†Bannikovichthys
Chiasmodontidae
Bramidae Caristiidae Scombrolabrax heterolepis pan‑gempyloids †Argestichthys Lepidocybium flavobrunneum Gempylidae †Anenchelum Trichiuridae
Bramidae Caristiidae
Bramidae
Caristiidae
Scombrolabrax heterolepis pan‑gempyloids †Argestichthys Lepidocybium flavobrunneum Gempylidae †Anenchelum Trichiuridae
Scombrolabrax heterolepis
pan‑gempyloids†Argestichthys Lepidocybium flavobrunneum Gempylidae †Anenchelum Trichiuridae
†Argestichthys
Lepidocybium flavobrunneum Gempylidae †Anenchelum Trichiuridae
Lepidocybium flavobrunneum
Gempylidae †Anenchelum Trichiuridae
Gempylidae
†Anenchelum Trichiuridae
†Anenchelum
Trichiuridae