Bonito vs. Tunny — 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.

See tuna1.

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

(dated) Tuna.

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

The chiefly British equivalent of tuna; any one of several species of large oceanic fishes belonging to the Mackerel family, especially the common or great tunny (Thunnus thynnus syn. Albacora thynnus, formerly Orcynus thynnus) native of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It sometimes weighs a thousand pounds or more, and is extensively caught in the Mediterranean. On the American coast it is called horse mackerel. See Illust. of Horse mackerel, under Horse.

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

Important warm-water fatty fish of the genus Thunnus of the family Scombridae; usually served as steaks

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

Any very large marine food and game fish of the genus Thunnus; related to mackerel; chiefly of warm waters

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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