Synopsis of Biological Data On 

 Frigate Tuna, Auxis thazard, and Bullet Tuna, A. rochei 



Richard N. Uchida 



ABSTRACT 



This s>'nopsis of biological and technical data on frigate tuna. Auxis (hazard, and bullet tuna, A. 

 rochei, includes information on identity, distribution, bionomics, life history, population, and ex- 

 ploitation. Over 200 published and unpublished reports, up to and including those published in 1978. 

 are covered. 



INTRODUCTION 



Unlike a number of tuna species in the world's oceans 

 which are heavily exploited and possibly are being 

 harvested near the upper limit of rational utilization, 

 frigate mackerels (or frigate and bullet tunas; see Klawe 

 1977), the most primitive genus of the higher tunas 

 (tribe Thunnini), give every indication of being an 

 underutilized fishery resource. In planning for the ra- 

 tional utilization of this resource, it is imperative to 

 have on hand information concerning the biology of the 

 species and estimates of present and potential catches. 

 The purposes of this paper, therefore, are to update our 

 current knowledge of the species by bringing together 

 and abstracting all the available information on the 

 biology and fisheries for frigate and bullet tunas and to 

 review and evaluate in depth the results of past 

 research, indicating in particular where conflicting 

 evidence exists. 



Scomber thazard Lacepede 1802 (original description; 



off coast of New Guinea) 

 Scomber bisus Rafinesque 1810 (original description; 



Palermo) 

 Thynnus rocheanus Risso 1826 (original description; 



Nice) 

 Auxis taso Cuvier and Valenciennes 1831 (original de- 

 scription; New Guinea) 

 Auxis vulgaris Cuvier and Valenciennes 1831 (original 



description; Mediterranean) 

 Auxis tapeinosoma Bleeker 1854 (original description; 



Japan) 

 Auxis thynnoides Bleeker 1855 (original description; Ter- 



nate) 

 Auxis rochei. Giinther 1860 

 Auxis thazard. Jordan and Evermann 1896 

 Auxis hira Kishinouye 1915 (original description; Japan) 

 Auxis nuiru Kishinouye 1915 (original description; Japan) 

 Au.vis bisus. Cadenat 1950 



1 IDENTITY 



1.1 Nomenclature 



1.2 Taxonomy 

 1.21 Affinities 



Auxis thazard (Lacepede) 1802 

 Auxis rochei (Risso) 1810 



1.12 Synonymy 



It it not possible at this time to assign all the various 

 names that have appeared in the literature to either 

 thazard or rochei. The following names are from Rosa 

 (1950), de Beaufort and Chapman (1951), Collingnon 

 (I960),' Williams (1963),' Idyll and de Sylva (1963), and 

 Jones (1963) and are listed in chronological order. 



'Southwest Fisheries Center. National Marine Fisheries Service. 

 NOAA. P.O. Box 38.30. Honolulu, HI 96812. 



"Collingnon. .J 1960. Report on /4uiis t/iazard in the eastern Atlan- 

 tic. llnFr.l CCTA Symposium on Thunnidae. Dakar. 12-27 December 

 1960. a p. IMimeogr.) (Engl, transl. available Southwest Fish. Cent.. 

 Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv.. NOAA. Honolulu, HI 96812.) 



'Williams. F. 1960. A symposium of existing Itnowledge on the 

 fishes on the genus Auxis Cuvier, 1829 in the Indian Ocean. CCTA 



Kingdom Animalia 

 Phylum Chordata 

 Subphylum Vertebrata 

 Superclass Gnathostomata 

 Class Osteichthyes 

 Subclass Actinopterygii 

 Division Teleostei 

 Cohort Acanthopterygii 

 Order Perciformes 

 Suborder Scombroidei 

 Family Scombridae 

 Subfamily Scombrinae 

 Tribe Tunnini 

 {Thunnus, Katsuwonus, 

 Euthynnus, Auxis) 



Symposium on Thunnidae. Dakar, 12-27 December 1960, 13 

 (Mimeogr.l 



