Synopsis of the Biology of the Black Marlin, 

 Makaira indica (Cuvier), 1831 



IZUMI NAKAMURA 1 



1. IDENTITY 



1.1 Nomenclature 



1.11 Valid name 



Makaira indica (Cuvier) 1831. 



Original combination: Tetrapturus indicus Cuvier 

 1831. In Cuvier and Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. 

 Poiss. Paris 8:286-287. (Original locality: Sumatra.) 



1.12 Objective synonymy 



Tetrapturus indicus Cuvier 1831. In Cuvier and 



Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss. Paris. 8:286-287. 

 Makaira indica Jordan and Evermann 1926. Calif. 



Acad. Sci., Occas. Pap. 12:67. 

 Makaira indicus (partim) Deraniyagala 1933. Spolia 



Zeylan. 18:55-56. 

 Istiompax indicus Morrow 1959. Copeia 1959:347-349. 

 Makaira (Istiompax) indica Robins and de Sylva 1960. 



Bull. Mar. Sci. Gulf Caribb. 10:406. 



1.2 Taxonomy 

 1.21 Affinities 



Suprageneric 



Phylum Chordata 



Subphylum Vertebrata 

 Superclass Gnathostomata 

 Class Osteichthyes 



Subclass Actinopterygii 

 Order Perciformes 

 Suborder Xiphioidei 

 Family Istiophoridae 



Generic 



Genus Makaira Lacepede. 



Makaira Lacepede 1803, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 4:688. 

 (Type-species: Makaira nigricans Lacepede 1803.) 



This genus is distinguished by the height of first 

 dorsal fin being less than body depth, short pelvic fin 



'Fisheries Research Station. Kyoto University, Maizuru, Kyoto 

 625, Japan. 



with poorly developed membrane, body slightly com- 

 pressed laterally, posterodorsal part of the head 

 remarkably convex, skull stout and broad, neural and 

 haemal spines showing a high trapezoid when viewed 

 laterally, lateral apophysis of vertebrae well 

 developed, vertebral count of 11 + 13 = 24 (Naka- 

 mura, Iwai, and Matsubara, 1968). 



Specific 



Types of this species might be unknown. This 

 species was described from a drawing of a specimen 

 274 cm (9 feet) long and weighing 440 kg (200 pounds), 

 from Sumatra. 



The substance of the original description of this 

 species is as follows: 



Spear long, five times in body length including 

 caudal fin, dorsal lobe 1 l A to 1 in depth of body, 

 ventrals one-half of depth; dorsal fin low poste- 

 riorly, the 4th or 5th middle spines highest and near- 

 ly equal to body depth. 



This species is distinguished clearly from other 

 members of Makaira by its rigid pectoral fin and a sec- 

 ond dorsal fin situated a little forward of the inser- 

 tion of the second anal fin (Nakamura et al., 

 1968). 



Subjective synonymy 



Tetrapturus australis Macleay 1854. Illus. Sydney 



News 1(23): 179. 

 Histiophorus brevirostris Playfair 1866. In Playfair 



and Gunther, The fishes of Zanzibar, p. 53 and 145, 



London. 

 Histiophorus gladius Ramsay 1881 (non Bloch 1793). 



Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 5:295-297. 

 Makaira marlina Jordan and Hill 1926. In Jordan 



and Evermann. Calif. Acad. Sci., Occas. Pap. 12:59- 



60, pi. 17. 

 Istiompax australis Whitley 1931. Rec. Aust. Mus. 



18(4): 147-150. 

 Makaira nigricans tahitiensis Nichols and LaMonte 



1935. Am. Mus. Novit. 807:1-2. 

 Makaira nigricans marlina Nichols and LaMonte 



1935. Nat. Hist., N.Y. 36:328. 

 Makaira ampla marlina Nichols and LaMonte 1941. 



Ichthyol. Contrib. Int. Game Fish Assoc. 1(1):8, 



fig. 1. 



17 



