Cero (fish)
species of fish
The cero (Scomberomorus regalis), also known as the pintado, kingfish, cero mackerel, cerite or painted mackerel, is a ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, better known as the mackerel family. More specifically, this fish is a member of the tribe Scomberomorini, the Spanish mackerels, and is the type species of the genus Scomberomorus.
Description
It is similar in appearance and coloration to the Atlantic Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus maculatus, except the cero has a longitudinal stripe in addition to the spots of the Atlantic Spanish mackerel. Additionally, the cero reaches larger sizes than the Atlantic Spanish mackerel, often 10 lb (4.5 kg) or more, but those over 30 lb (14 kg) are extremely rare. The first dorsal fin is black anteriorly, the lateral line descends slowly from the shoulder without the sharp break seen on the king mackerel, Scomberomorus cavalla.
Distribution
It is found in the western Atlantic from Cape Cod through the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1796427. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Cero (fish)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.