Is part of the family Carangidae. It is very similar in appearance to Atlantic horse mackerel although its body is flattened sidewise. They can be distinguished by the number of lateral line scales. Mediterranean horse mackerel has 78-79 scales compared to the 69-79 scales in the lateral line of the Atlantic horse mackerel. Moreover, Mediterranean horse mackerel is slightly smaller than the Atlantic horse mackerel. It is a pelagic species that lives in waters of the eastern Atlantic, from the Bay of Biscay to Mauritania as well as the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. They are found in the groundwater and occasionally in surface water.