Depth
Trachurus · Bony Fish

Mediterranean Horse Mackerel

Trachurus mediterraneus

0-500m
Depth Range
60cm
Max Size
Mediterranean
Distribution
0-500m
Depth Range
60cm
Max Size
Pelagic
Habitat
Carnivore
Diet
Schooling
Social
LC
IUCN Status
High
Sighting Likelihood
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassActinopterygii
GenusTrachurus
Speciesmediterraneus

Bony Fish

Identification & Biology

  • IdentificationElongated, laterally compressed body similar to the Atlantic horse mackerel. Blue-green back with silver flanks. Distinguished by a distinctly curved lateral line with smaller scutes than its Atlantic relative.
  • SizeUp to 50 cm total length, commonly 20 to 30 cm.
  • Social HabitHighly gregarious, forming large pelagic schools in coastal and offshore waters.
  • HabitatOpen water over the continental shelf. Found near the bottom by day and nearer the surface at night.
  • DepthSurface to 500 m, most common between 10 and 100 m.
  • Feeds OnSmall fish, crustaceans, and zooplankton caught in midwater.
  • DistributionMediterranean Sea and adjacent Atlantic. An endemic Mediterranean subspecies or separate species depending on taxonomy.
  • DescriptionThe Mediterranean's own horse mackerel, forming enormous schools that are a cornerstone of the pelagic food web. Schools of horse mackerel attract tuna, dolphins, and seabirds. An important commercial species caught throughout the Mediterranean.

Range

Habitat & Distribution

Found from the surface to depths of 500 m, though most common between 10 and 200 m. Occurs over all substrate types, moving between deep and shallow water seasonally.

Where Malta divers have spotted this species

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Sightings are logged by divers using our What Did You See? dive-log tool. View the full live sightings map.

Detail

Preferred Environment

Favours open water over the continental shelf. Often encountered in large schools around underwater structures, harbour walls, and areas with strong water movement.

Encounter Tips

Best approached slowly and calmly. Avoid casting shadows directly over the animal. Neutral buoyancy and patience increase encounter success significantly.

Mediterranean Horse Mackerel species card

Biology

Behaviour & Diet

Feeding Strategy

Actively hunts small fish, crustaceans, and planktonic organisms. Schools feed collectively, moving through the water column to follow prey concentrations.

Schooling predator

Reproduction

Spawns in batches from spring through summer in open water. Eggs are pelagic, and larvae develop in surface waters before forming juvenile schools.

Batch spawner

Behaviour & Defence

Dense schooling provides safety in numbers. The bony scutes along the lateral line offer some physical protection from smaller predators.

Schooling + armour

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Where to Encounter in Malta

Dive sites where Trachurus mediterraneus may be encountered will be added as sighting data is collected.

IUCN Red List Least Concern

Conservation Status

This species is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Mediterranean populations face ongoing pressure from fishing activity, habitat degradation, and climate-driven changes.

Source: IUCN Red List
diveshack Mediterranean Marine Life guide