Hawaiian Fishes 163 



Common Escolar or Walu 



Also known as the Black Escolar, Oil Fish, Ponkfish, or Palu 

 76-3 Ruvettns pretiosus Cocco 



Drawn from Jordan & Evermann 



The common escolar is a very large fish with very rough scales. It 

 is almost black in color and reaches a length of six feet and will weigh 

 more than one hundred pounds. The flesh of this fish is white, flaky, 

 soft, and full of oil. 



It is a circumtropical species and seems to prefer to live at depths 

 between 200 and 400 fathoms. It is uncommon in the Hawaiian Islands, 



THE SAILFISH, SPEARFISH AND 

 MARLIN FAMILY 



Also known as the Spike Fish and erroneously called Swordfish 



77 Family Istiophoridae 



The spearfishes are large fishes in which the consolidated bones of 

 the upper jaw form a rostrum which is prolonged into a spear. They are 

 all of a brilliant metallic coloration, all have feeble teeth, and all have 

 the ventral fin reduced to two or three rays. The males are smaller than 

 the females. 



These fishes are sometimes confused with the broadbill swordfish. 

 They may be distinguished by the fact that in this family a large dorsal 

 fin extends almost the length of the back and the ventral fins of five rays 

 are each fused into one ray. Two keels occupy each side of the tail, teeth 

 are present, scales are imbedded in the skin, and the spear is round, rather 

 than flat. 



The spearfishes are found in all warm seas. They move northward 

 with the summer seasons to feed on other fishes including mackerels, 

 sardines, flying fishes, bonitoes, squids and cuttlefish. They are reported 

 to kill their victims in schools by slashing about with their spear, thereafter 



