ed it (as 5. veloz) from Block Island, R.I., based on 

 a drawing (Stillman 1921). We do not believe a 

 positive identification of a species of Sarda can be 

 based solely on a drawing. Fraser-Brunner (1950) 

 "confirmed" the presence of 5. orientalis in the 

 Atlantic based on a specimen from the Gold Coast 

 (Ghana), but reexamination of this specimen 

 (BMNH 1939.7.12.31) shows it to be a perfectly 

 normal S. sarda. 



There appear to be large gaps between popula- 

 tions in the tropical Indo-West Pacific (Figure 70). 

 In the western Indian Ocean, it is recorded from 

 along the coast of Natal, South Africa (Barnard 

 1927; ANSP 91185), south to Durban (Smith 1949; 

 BMNH 1920.7.23.59). It occurs at Aldabra (Smith 

 1956) and in the Seychelles Islands (Smith and 

 Smith 1963; BMNH 1927.4.14.81). We have 

 examined specimens from Eilat at the northern 

 end of the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea (SFRS 

 704/1-2) and from Muscat at the entrance to the 

 Persian Gulf (BMNH 1888.12.129-131). Day (1878) 

 gave an early report from Bombay. Silas (1964, fig. 

 7) mapped the occurrence and fishery areas for 

 Sarda orientalis in the eastern Arabian Sea along 

 the southwest coast of India and Nagabhushanam 

 and Chandrasekhara Rap (1972) listed it among 

 the fauna of Minicoy Atoll, Laccadive Archipelago. 

 Sivasubramaniam (1967, 1969, 1970) recorded it as 

 one of the least abundant tunas in the inshore 

 water of Sri Lanka (Ceylon); we have examined a 

 juvenile from there (UBC 57-183). Small quantities 

 were taken in gill nets off Madras in 1966 

 (Gnanamuttu 1968). We have not seen any records 

 or specimens from the eastern Indian Ocean ex- 

 cept for the southwest tip of Australia from where 

 Whitley (1945) described S. orientalis serventyi 

 (Albany and Busselton, Western Australia; WAM 

 P. 2568). 



There appear to be no records or museum 

 specimens of Sarda orientalis from Indonesia or 

 elsewhere in the East Indies. There is an old 

 published record for Cambodia (Tirant 1885), but 

 we have seen no specimens from the Gulf of 

 Thailand or South China Sea in any collections 

 including the extensive series of scombrids 

 collected by the George Vanderbilt Expedition. 

 Warfel (1950) and Herre (1953) reported it from 

 the Philippine Islands and there are specimens 

 from Shanghai (MNHN 91-628; NHMV uncat.). 

 Starting with its original description by Tem- 

 minck and Schlegel in 1844, there have been 

 numerous reports from Japan where it is not un- 

 common in many markets (Jordan and Hubbs 



1925): Richardson 1846 (Sea of Japan); Jordan and 

 Snyder 1900 (Tokyo); Jordan and Snyder 1901 

 (Tokyo and Nagasaki); Tortonese 1939 

 (Yokohama). Kishinouye (1923) reported S. orien- 

 talis as abundant around the island of Kyushu and 

 he recorded a juvenile from north as far as Aomori 

 Prefecture (about lat. 41 °N) at the north end of 

 Honshu. According to Kikawa et al. (1963), this 

 remains the northernmost record of the species in 

 Japan. Honma (1952) listed it from Sado Island 

 (about lat. 38°N), Niigata Prefecture, in the Sea of 

 Japan. Carl L. Hubbs obtained specimens (UMMZ 

 uncat.) from Suruga Bay and Sagami Bay in 1923 

 and Collette purchased specimens in the Tokyo 

 market in 1966. There appears to be a large gap in 

 the range from Japan and China on the north and 

 the Philippine Islands further south all the way 

 east to the Hawaiian Islands where it is not com- 

 mon (Jordan and Snyder 1904; Jordan and Jordan 

 1922; Fowler 1928; Tinker 1944; Brock 1949); 

 however, we have examined two preserved 

 Hawaiian specimens (USNM 58527; ANSP 82258) 

 and have dissected two recently collected 

 specimens. 



The eastern Pacific population is confined to the 

 tropical coasts of Middle America and Ecuador and 

 also occurs in the Galapagos Islands. This popula- 

 tion was described as Sarda velox by Meek and 

 Hildebrand in 1923 from Panama City specimens 

 and several other records are also from Panama 

 and the Pearl Islands (Gilbert and Starks 1904; 

 Hildebrand 1946; CAS SU 12824; USNM 81060, 

 128643-5). The range extends south to the 

 Galapagos (Herre 1936; Schmitt and Schultz 1940; 

 Fowler 1944; Hildebrand 1946; Godsil 1954; ANSP 

 82007, 89065; CAS SU 4885; USNM 107055, 119781) 

 and the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador (Hildebrand 

 1946; USNM 127907). To the north, there are 

 records from the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica (Erd- 

 man 1971) and from the coast of Mexico at 

 Banderas Bay, Las Tres Marias Islands, and Cape 

 San Lucas (NMC 68-0710) at the southern tip of 

 Baja California (Ricker 1959a). 



Geographic Variation.— The distribution of 

 Sarda orientalis (Figure 70) is disjunct and, 

 therefore, subspecific or populational differences 

 are possible. Two forms have been named— the 

 population in southwestern Australia {S. orien- 

 talis serventyi Whitley) and the tropical eastern 

 Pacific population {S. velox Meek and Hildebrand). 

 Based on the scattered material available, there 

 appear to be no significant anatomical or meristic 



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