Co In the other species this sort of change is not 

 Gonspicuouso 



As stated previously, in the black marlin the greatest 

 number of males weigh 40 - 60 kg, ;, while among the females those 

 of 100 - 120 kgo are most numerouso Considered very summarilyj 

 the fish can be divided into those under 60 kg„ « which can be 

 taken to be almost entirely malesp and those over 100 kgo;, 

 which can be thought to be almost exclusively females^ and the 

 proportions of these two size groups in the total number of 

 fish caught can be taken as an estimate of the ratio in which 

 the sexes appearo If we try drawing curves of the frequency of 

 occurrence of males and females in each month, we find as a 

 natural result that these curves intersect each other twice^ 

 in May-June and in August-Septembero In effect, the frequency 

 curve of the females agrees generally with the curve of monthly 

 average weights described above, while the males are nearly the 

 reverse. The period from the time when the frequency curve for 

 the females reaches its peak in April to the time of its lowest 

 point in August is in general the spawning season in Formosan 

 waters, and the intersection of the two curves in May- June is 

 at the height of the spawning seasono This can be said to be 

 a deeply interesting phenomenono 



The spawning season of the iwhite marlin is completely 

 unknown. It is merely presumed from some data on gonads 

 obtained in the Hainan Island area that July to August is 

 probably the spawning season in those waters. If the curves 

 for the frequency of occurrence of males and females are drawn, 

 based on the same assumptions that were made in the case of the 

 black marlin, the curves show approximately the same trend as 

 those for the black marline However, the maxima, minima, and 

 points of intersection of these curves are all about 3 months 

 later than those of the black marline Consequently, although 

 the spawning season, as deduced from the condition of the 

 gonads, has not yet been concretely and completely proven, its 

 probability has been remarkably enhanced. 



Bo Species 



Jordan and Evermann^^*^^ have reported the spearfishes or Xiphiiformes 

 of the v/orld under 2 families, 4 genera, and 32 species^ It is, however, 

 questionable whether so many species actually exist, and it is believed 

 that the opinion which was expressed with regard to the tunas may be 

 applied in the same terms to these fishes o 



^^^J Jordan and Bvermann, 1926c Occo Papers California Acad, Sci, XII„ 



53 



