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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



SHORTER ARTICLES. 



THE YELLOW-FIN ALBACORE IN 

 CALIFORNIA. 



Dr. Charles Frederick Holder, of 

 Pasadena, reports that the coast of 

 California has recently been invaded by 

 a splendid new game fish, the Japanese 

 hirenaga or kihada maguro called yel- 

 low-fin albacore, Germo macropterus 

 (Schlegel). This has appeared in con- 

 siderable schools off Santa Catalina 

 Island in southern California. I en- 

 close a photograph of a specimen taken 

 near Avalon, sent me by Dr. Holder. 



The yellow-fin albacore is common in 



ica.' The yellow-fin albacore is, how- 

 ever, distinct from Germo germo, and 

 its proper name is Germo macropterus, 

 or Thunnus macropterus, if we place 

 the long-finned albacores in the same 

 genus as the sunny or tuna (Thunnus 

 thynnus) . 



From the related species with long, 

 ribbon-like pectorals, Germo macrop- 

 terus is known by the yellow finlets 

 and by the very high, falcate, soft 

 dorsal and anal fins. 



Dr. Holder writes that tuna has 

 almost deserted Santa Catalina for the 



Yellow-fin Albacobe {Germo Micropterus Schlegel). 



southern Japan, being often seen in 

 the markets of Nagasaki, where it is 

 conspicuous from the bright yellow 

 color of its dorsal and anal finlets. It 

 is occasionally taken about Hawaii. It 

 is described in the Hawaiian report of 

 Jordan and Evermann as Germo germo, 

 with a figure of Germo germo (sibi) 

 copied from Schlegel's ' Fauna Japon- 



last three years, owing perhaps to the 

 presence of a school of large and very 

 hungry killers {Orca) , 'but the yellow- 

 fin albacore, coming so suddenly, gave 

 almost as much sport to the anglers.' 

 The weight of the fish is about fifty 

 pounds. 



David Starr Jordax. 



