Genus Makaira Lacepede*. makajiki genua 



All of the most important spearfishes in Formosa are included in this genus. Of the 16 

 species known throughout the world, 3 appear in Formosan waters. 



Key to the species 



a" Pectoral fin can be placed parallel against the side of the body, markings on sides of 

 the body. 



a'" Pectoral fins large and long, dorsal fin high, body rather conspicuously compressed 

 laterally, length of upper jaw does not attain twice the length of the lower jaw. 



striped marlin or red marlin 



(makajiki or akajiki) 

 a"'a"' Pectoral fins long and large, dorsal fin rather low, degree of lateral compression of 



body not marked. Body very much rounded in the vicinity of the first anal fin, length 

 of upper jaw more than twice length of lower jaw. . . . black marlin ( kurokajiki or 



kurokaw akajiki ) 

 a"a" Pectoral fins form a right angle with side of the body and cannot be folded back against 

 the body without breaking the joint; no n-iarkings on the sides of the body. 



white marlin ( shirokajiki or 



shir okaw akajiki ) 

 3) Makaira mitsukurii Jordan and Snyder, makajiki ^striped marlin/ 



Plate 14, figure 1 



Akakajiki or aka (Suo, Keelung, Takao); Formosan names fex ff? :^. f . or *! I5J T >jg^ 



(Keelung). 



Tetrapturus mitsukurii -- Jordan and Snyder. Jour. Coll. Sci. Imp. Univ. Tokyo, 1901. 

 Tanaka, Shigeo. Japanese Ichthyology, p. 374, 1921 



Tanaka, Shigeo. Illustrated atlas of useful, harnaful, and admirable aquatic plants and 

 animals, p. 163. 1933. 



Makaira mitsukurii - -Jordan and Evermann. Occ. Papers Calif. Acad. Sci. XII, 1926. 



Morphology - D. Ill, 12-15, XXII-XXV, 6. A. II, 12-13, 6. V. I, 2. Vertebrae- 24 

 (12 + 12) 



The body appears rather conspicuously compressed laterally in the anterior portion and 

 becomes almost cylindrical in the caudal portion. The body depth is rather small and diminishes 

 at a remarkably high rate to the origin of the first anal fin. Body length is 2. 6 times the head 

 length, 5.23 times the body depth (a), and 6.9 times the body depth (b). The head length is 1.5 

 times the snout length and 6. 12 times the interorbital space. The length of the upper jaw is 1.85 

 times the length of the lower jaw, and the ratio of the snout to the rest of the body is 2.80. The 

 distance from the eye to the origin of the 1st dorsal fin is 4. 1 times the eye diameter. The body 

 depth is 4.9 times the caudal peduncle, which is a remarkably small ratio compared to the other 

 fishes of the genus Makaira . The dorsal fin is well developed, its anterior lobe is high, and the 

 posterior portion is much better developed than in the other species. The height of the first dorsal 

 is approximately equal to the body depth; the pectorals are greatly developed, their length exceed- 

 ing the body depth, which is in the proportion of 0.95. The anal fin is also well developed, and 

 the caudal fin is of normal fornn. 



•Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., IV, 683, 1803. 



27 



