The black snake mackerel (Nealotus tripes) is a species of snake mackerel found worldwide in both tropical and temperate waters where they are found at depths of from 914 to 1,646 metres (2,999 to 5,400 ft) making diel vertical migrations from mesopelagic depths to the surface at night.

It is important to local peoples as a food fish.

This species is currently the only known member of its genus, Nealotus.

As all fish, the black snake mackerel has a variety of parasites.

A study performed on fish from the subtropical upwelling region off North-West-Africa indicated that they harbour Myxozoa, Digenea, Monogenea, Cestoda, Nematoda including two species of Anisakis, Acanthocephala, and Copepoda.