Thunnus is a
genus of ocean-dwelling
ray-finned bony fish from the
Scombridae (
Mackerel) family. More specifically,
Thunnus is one of five
genera which make up the
Thunnini tribe – a tribe that is collectively known as the
tunas. Also called the
true tunas or
real tunas,
Thunnus consists of eight
species of tuna (more than half of the overall tribe), divided into two
subgenera. The word is the
Middle Latin form of the – which is in turn derived from , "to rush; to dart". The first written use of the word was by
Homer.
