5o Marlina marlina (Jordan and Hill) 



In Japanese shirokawaj shiromazaara; genba^ katahari ^ or 

 shirokajiki - 



Figure 21o— White marlino 



First dorsal fin has 36 to 40 rays, of which the first three are 

 spines s the following 10 to 12 have branched tips^ and the remaining 

 posterior rays are again spines. The second dorsal fin has 7 soft raySo 

 The first anal fin has 2 spines and 10 to 11 soft rays. The second anal 

 fin has 7 soft raySo The ventral fins have 1 spine and 2 soft raySo 

 The vertebral count is 11 / 13 s 24, 



The body length is about 2c B times the head length, 4^5 times 

 the greatest body depth, and about 6 times the body depth at the first 

 arial insertiono Head length is lo5 times snout length-, and 5c 8 times 

 the space between the eye socketso The length of the snout is 2o3 times 

 the head length excluding the snouto The head length excepting the 

 snout is 4c 3 times the diameter of the eyeo The distance between the 

 eye and the insertion of the first dorsal fin is 4„3 times the eye 

 diametero The greatest body depth is 6.1 times the depth of the caudal 

 peduncle o The ratio of the length of upper to lower jaw is lo9o 



The body is elongatedo It is rather conspicuously compressed 

 laterally, the body depth is great, and the projection of the dorsal 

 profile at the anterior end of the first dorsal fin is conspicuous, for 

 which reason it is sometimes called katahari (broad-shoulder)o The 

 caudal region gradually becomes cylindrical in form, and there are two 

 keels on each side of the caudal peduncleo The snout is rather short 

 and somewhat compressed dorse -ventral ly.. The body is covered with 

 slender bony scales which are buried in the skinc The lateral line, 

 which is simple, is extremely difficult to see, but it is presents 



The highest portion of the first dorsal fin is at its fifth ray^, 

 but it is far less than the body depth, the body depth being roughly 

 1„6 times the height of the first dorsal fino Posterior to the sixth 

 ray the dorsal fin gradually decreases in height, and the rays posterior 

 to its central part are extremely lowo The pectoral fins are well 

 developed i, falcately curved, forming a right angle with the side of 

 the bodyo They cannot be folded back against the sides of the body 

 without breaking their joints o Their length is roughly equal to the 

 body deptho Because of this peculiarity, this species is called in 

 Formosan Chinese the "Standing Wing Spearfisho" The ventral fins are 

 remarkably smallo The first anal fin is well developed;, The second 

 dorsal and anal fins are roughly of the same shape and equal size, and 

 are located symmetrically with respect to one another,, Both the upper 

 and the lower lobes of the caudal fin are narrow and they are broadly 

 forkedo 



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