Bonito vs. Skipjack — What's the Difference?

Bonitos are a tribe of medium-sized, ray-finned predatory fish in the family Scombridae – a family it shares with the mackerel, tuna, and Spanish mackerel tribes, and also the butterfly kingfish. Also called the tribe Sardini, it consists of eight species across four genera; three of those four genera are monotypic, having a single species each.

A skipjack tuna.

Any of various marine food and game fishes of the family Scombridae and especially the genus Sarda, resembling a small tuna.

Any of various other fishes, such as the bluefish, that habitually leap out of the water.

Any of various marine fish of the genus Sarda that are related to and resemble the tuna.

Pl. skip·jacks A fishing sloop having a bottom shaped like a flat V and vertical sides.

A large tropical fish, the skipjack tuna, allied to the tunny, Katsuwonus pelamis.

Any of several not closely related fish.

The medregal (Seriola fasciata), an edible fish of the southern of the United States and the West Indies.

Several of the genus Euthynnus resembling tuna.

The cobia or crab eater (Rachycentron canadum), an edible fish of warm waters globally.

Katsuwonus pelamis.

A large tropical fish (Orcynus pelamys) allied to the tunny. It is about three feet long, blue above, with four brown stripes on the sides. It is sometimes found on the American coast.

The common bluefish

Any of a variety of scombroid fishes of the genera Sarda or Euthynnus, with a size intermediate between those of the smaller mackerels and the tunas. It is applied especially to the skipjack tuna (Euthynnus pelamis, syn. Katsuwonus pelamis, formerly Sarda Mediterranea, also called skipjack) of the Atlantic, an important and abundant food fish on the coast of the United States, and (Sarda Chilensis) of the Pacific, and other related species. These are large and active fishes, of a blue color above and silver below, with black oblique stripes.

The alewife

The medregal (Seriola fasciata), an edible fish of the southern of the United States and the West Indies.

The bonito

The cobia or crab eater (Elacate canada), an edible fish of the Middle and Southern United States.

The butterfish

Flesh of mostly Pacific food fishes of the genus Sarda of the family Scombridae; related to but smaller than tuna

The cutlass fish

Fish whose flesh is dried and flaked for Japanese cookery; may be same species as skipjack tuna

The jurel

Any of various scombroid fishes intermediate in size and characteristics between mackerels and tunas

The leatherjacket, leatherjack (genus Oligoplites)

The runner.

The saurel.

The saury.

The threadfish.

(obsolete) An upstart.

An elaterid; a click beetle.

A shallow sailboat with a rectilinear or V-shaped cross section.

An upstart.

An elater; a snap bug, or snapping beetle.

A name given to several kinds of a fish, as the common bluefish, the alewife, the bonito, the butterfish, the cutlass fish, the jurel, the leather jacket, the runner, the saurel, the saury, the threadfish, etc.

A shallow sailboat with a rectilinear or V-shaped cross section.

Oceanic schooling tuna of considerable value in Pacific but less in Atlantic; reaches 75 pounds; very similar to if not the same as oceanic bonito

Medium-sized tuna-like food fish of warm Atlantic and Pacific waters; less valued than tuna

Able to right itself when on its back by flipping into the air with a clicking sound