164 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 

 THE NEEDLEFISHES. FAMILY SCOMBERESOCIDjE 



In the needlefishes, as with the billfishes (p. 161), both jaws (of the adult) are 

 elongated to form a slender beak, and the anal, dorsal, and ventral fins are set far 

 back, but the presence of several finlets between the dorsal and anal fins and the 

 caudal in the needlefishes, which the billfishes lack, is a ready field mark for their 

 identification. Furthermore, their teeth are small and weak, and their bodies 

 only moderately elongate. Only four or five species are known in warm seas, one 

 of which is not uncommon in the Gulf of Maine. 



62. Needlefish (Scomberesox saurus Walbaum) 



Billfish; Saury; Skipper 



Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 725. 



Description. — The needlefish resembles the silver gar in its slender form and 

 in the fact that both its upper and lower jaws are elongate, but differs from it in 

 the presence of a series of five or six little separate finlets in the spaces between 



Fig. 70. — Adult needlefish (Scomberesox saurus) 



Fio. 71.— Needlefish fry (Scomberesox saurus), about 2% inches long. After Murray and Hjort 



the dorsal and anal fins and the caudal fin. The body is about nine times as long 

 (not counting caudal fin) as deep, compressed, tapering toward the head and tail, 

 with slender caudal peduncle, and all the fins are small. The dorsal originates 

 slightly behind the origin of the anal, these two fins being similar in outline and 

 standing far back. The ventrals are situated about midway the length of the 

 body. The caudal is deeply forked and symmetrical, much like the tail of a mack- 

 erel. The trunk and a patch on each gill cover are covered with small scales. 

 The lower jaw projects beyond the upper; the teeth are pointed but very small. 



Color. — Olive green above with a silver band on each side at the level of the 

 eye and about as broad as the latter. There is a dark green spot above the base of 

 the pectoral; the dorsal fin is greenish; the lower parts silvery with golden gloss. 

 In young fry, which live in the surface waters of the open Atlantic, the back is dark 

 blue and the sides silvery. 



Size. — Up to 18 inches long. Those caught on Cape Cod run a foot and more 

 in length. 



