2b. Lateral line simple, forming a single unit(LaMonte, 1958, PI. 

 75, Fig. 3); bill long, greatly exceeding the length of the lower 

 jaw 3 



3a. Dorsal fin variously mottled, but without distinct ocelli at its 

 base; anal fin pointed, pale, unmarked; dorsal spine count 40-49, 

 modally 43 or 45; anal spine count 12-17, modally 13; dorsal soft- 

 ray count 6-8, modally 7; anal soft-ray count 6-8, modally 7 

 (Voss, 1953, Fig. 4 and Gehringer, 1957, Fig. 15; see also Robins 

 and de Sylva, 1963, Table 5, for frequency distribution) . . . 

 Atlantic sailfish, Istiophorus albicans 



3b. Dorsal fin variously mottled, but with four distinct ocelli near 

 the base of dorsal fin (Fig. 1); anal fin broadly rounded, its mid- 

 dle rays dark; dorsal spine count 38-43, modally 42; anal spine 

 count 13-19, modally 14 or 15; dorsal soft-ray count 5-7, modally 



6; anal soft-ray count 5 or 6, modally 6 



White marlin, Tetrapturus albidus 



The present authors have identified the specimens 

 of T. albidus they have examined by the combination 

 of the above characters, but principally by the strong- 

 ly rounded lobes of the first dorsal and first anal fins. 



Subjective synonymy (from de Sylva, in press): 



Tetrapturus belone: Sassi, 1846, Nuovi Ann. Sci. Rend. Sess. Soc. 

 Accad. Sci. Hist. Bologna, ser. 2, VI: 391 (from Genoa; non T. 

 belone Rafinesque, 1810). Placed in synonymy of T. lessonae 

 Canestrini in Canestrini, 1861. 



Tetrapturus lessonae Canestrini, 1861, Arch. Zool. Anat. Fisiol., 

 Genoa, I (k): 259-261, pi. XVH (type locality: Ligurian Sea. 

 Type specimen: a mount in the Museo di Storia Naturale di 

 Genova). Placed in synonymy of Makaira albida (Poey) (= T. 

 albidus Poey) in LaMonte (1955); reasons discussed. 



Tetrapturus imperator: Jordan and Evermann, 1896, Bull. U.S. 

 Natl. Mus., (47), I: 892 (Tetrapturus albidus Poey, 1860, con- 

 sidered a junior synonym of T. imperator Bloch and Schneider, 

 1801, which, however, is based upon Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 

 1758). Placed in synonymy of T. albidus Poey in de Sylva (in 

 press); reasons noted above. 



Makaira lessonae Jordan and Evermann, 1926. Occas. Pap. Calif. 

 Acad. Sci., XII: 56-57 (new combination based on Tetrapturus 

 lessonae Canestrini, 1861). Placed in synonymy of T. albidus 

 Poey in de Sylva (in press); reasons noted above. 



Makaira albida Jordan and Evermann, 1926, Occas. Pap. Calif. 

 Acad. Sci., XII: 66-67 (new combination based on Tetrapturus 

 albidus (Poey, I860)). Placed in synonymy of T albidus Poey 

 in de Sylva (in press); reasons noted above. 



Tetrapturus belone: Legendre, 1928, Bull. Soc. zool. France, LIE: 

 391-392, fig. 1 (west of English Channel; non T. belone 

 Rafinesque, 1810). Placed in synonymy of Makaira albida 

 (Poey) (= T. albidus Poey) in LaMonte (1955); reasons dis- 

 cussed. 



Tetrapturus belone: Desbrosses, 1938, Bull. Soc. zool. France, 

 LXIU: 48-58 (200 miles west-northwest of Groix, Brittany; non T. 

 belone Rafinesque, 1810). Placed in synonymy of Makaira albida 

 (Poey) (= T. albidus Poey) in LaMonte (1955); reasons discuss- 

 ed. 



Tetrapturus georgii: Tortonese, 1940, Boll. Mus. Zool. Anat. comp. 

 Torino, XLVTII, ser. 3, no. 115, 3, 5, 6 (based on a mounted 

 specimen in the Turin Museum, cat. no. 784; non T. georgii 

 Lowe, 1840). Placed in synonymy of Makaira albida (Poey) (= T. 

 albidus Poey) in LaMonte (1955); reasons discussed. 



Lamontella albida Smith, 1956, Ichthyol. Bull. Rhodes, Univ., (2): 

 32 (new generic name for Tetrapturus albidus Poey, 1860). 

 Lamontella placed in synonymy of Tetrapturus in Robins and de 

 Sylva (1960); reasons discussed. 



Tetrapturus belone: Lozano Cabo, 1958, Trab. Inst. esp. Oceanogr., 

 XXV: 57, fig. 93 (Ceuta, Spain; non T. belone Rafinesque, 1810). 

 Placed in synonymy of T. albidus Poey, 1860, in Robins and de 

 Sylva (1960). Reasons not discussed. 



Many additional name changes are listed by 

 Nakamura et al. (1968). 



Artificial key: Adult fishes of the genus Tetrapturus, 

 modified from Nakamura et al. (1968): 



a 1 Anterior fin rays of first dorsal fin fairly high 

 posterior rays about same height; vent situated de- 

 cidedly anterior to origin of the first anal fin; sec- 

 ond anal fin anterior to second dorsal fin. 



b' Pectoral fin narrow and short. 



c 1 Snout very short 



Shortbill spearfish T. angustirostris Tanaka. 



c 2 Snout fairly long Med- 

 iterranean spearfish T. Belone Rafinesque. 



b 2 Pectoral fin wide and long Longbill 



spearfish T. pfluegeri Robins and de Sylva. 



a 2 Height of anterior portion of first dorsal fin about 

 same as the body but as it goes gradual decreasing 

 in height towwards posterior end; vent directly 

 anterior to the origin of the first anal fin; second 

 dorsal fin and second anal fin in parallel positions. 



d 1 Pectoral fin wide and rounded. The tip of 

 the first dorsal fin and first anal fin 

 rounded .. White marlin T. albidus Poey. 



d 2 Pectoral fin narrow, and its tip pointed; 

 the tips of the first dorsal fin and first anal 



fin pointed 



Striped marlin T. audax (Philippi). 



1.22 Taxonomic status 



The white marlin is a morphological species well 

 described and taxonomically understood. Nakamura 

 et al. (1968) in their review recognize only one species 

 of white marlin which is universally accepted in the 

 genus Tetrapturus. 



1.23 Subspecies 



We have found no descriptions of subspecies of T. 

 albidus, or any evidence on which subspecies could be 

 based. 



1.24 Standard common names and vernacular 

 names (Rosa, 1950; Miyake and Hayasi, 

 1972; de Sylva, in press) 



Brazil - Bicuda, Agulhao branca, Espadarte meca 

 british West Indies - White marlin 



58 



