The Cape horse mackerel (Trachurus capensis) is a mackerel-like species in the family Carangidae. It is a pelagic species of the south eastern Atlantic Ocean which is a target of fisheries, mainly as bycatch.
The Cape horse mackerel has an elongated, slightly compressed, body with a large head. It has no distinctive markings apart from a small, black spot on edge of its operculum near the upper angle. The dorsal part of body and head are dark and can be dusky, almost black or grey, to bluish green in colour while the flanks, belly and head are usually paler, varying from whitish to silvery. Their maximum reported length is 60 cm, with a common length of 30 cm.
The Cape horse mackerel is found in the southeastern Atlantic from the Gulf of Guinea to eastern South Africa. It is largely restricted to the Benguela current from southern Angola to southern South Africa.
Cape horse mackerel adults are found mainly over the continental shelf, especially where there is a substrate of sand. The shoals rise to the surface waters at night to feed and remain near to the bottom during the day. The juveniles prey mostly on copepods while the adults feed on fishes and a wider variety of invertebrates.
