Little tunny
Euthynnus alletteratus
- Usual depth1–67 m
- Water temperature17–28 °C
- Best monthsJuly, August, and September
- How commonOccasional
Photo credit: (c) Kathy Richardson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
The little tunny, also known as the little tuna, false albacore, or erroneously as the blue bonito, is a species of tuna in the family Scombridae. It can be found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean and Black seas; in the western Atlantic, it ranges from Brazil to the New England states. The little tunny is a pelagic fish that can be found regularly in both offshore and inshore waters, and it is classified as a highly migratory species. The little tunny is best identified by the "worm-like" markings on its back and the dark spots appearing between its pectoral and ventral fins.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Little tunny”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 43 records
- February: 28 records
- March: 35 records
- April: 49 records
- May: 39 records
- June: 119 records
- July: 123 records
- August: 132 records
- September: 125 records
- October: 68 records
- November: 40 records
- December: 19 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–67 m · Deepest record: 879 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 17–28 °C
Photos
(c) Oscar Dove, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist 
(c) Russell Parsons, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Karim Haddad, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Karim Haddad, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Bobby McCabe, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Ryan Watson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Little tunny, Mackerel, Atlantic Black Skipjack, Atlantic Little Tuna, Atlantic Little Tunny, Bonito, False Albacore, Little Tuna, little tunny, Little Tunny, Little Tunny(=atl.black Skipj), mackerel
Names in 4 more languages
- German
- Falscher bonito, Thalasomprama, Thonine
- Spanish
- Atuncito, bacoreta, Bacoreta, Bacorète, Bonito, Cabaña Pintada, Carachana, Carachana Pintada, comevíveres
- French
- Bonite, Bonite queue Raide, Bonite queue raide, Thonine, Thonine commune, Ravil, thonine, thonine commune, Thonine commune
- Japanese
- Tainhota, Taiseiyou-yaito, Taiwan Yaito
Other scientific names: Euthinnus alletteratus, Euthunnus alleteratus, Euthynnus alleteratus, Euthynnus alliteratus, Euthynnus allitteratus, Euthynnus quadripunctatus, Euthynnus thunina, Gymnosarda alleterata, Gymnosarda alletterata, Gymnosarda alliterata, Orcynus thunnina, Pelamys alleterata, Scomber alletteratus, Scomber quadripunctatus, Thynnichthys brevipinnis, Thynnichthys thunnina, Thynnus brasiliensis, Thynnus brevipinnis, Thynnus leachianus, Thynnus thunina
Similar species
KawakawaEuthynnus affinis
WahooAcanthocybium solandri
BonitoAuxis rochei
Frigate mackerelAuxis thazard
Narrow-barred Spanish mackerelScomberomorus commerson
Allison tunaThunnus albacares
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 2,213 open-data records from 1903 to 2021.
- Species data updated November 2, 2026.
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