MGIiPfiOMETIilC IVEASUlffiAiENTS OF PACIFIC 3CQIBR1DS 



Racial studies of Pacific tunss and related spscies by means of 

 morphonetric rr.easursments have been conducted by the Pacific Oceanic Fishery 

 Investigations (POFI) since its inception in 1948o Numerous data on yellow- 

 fin tuna^, bigeye tuna, albacorej, and skipjack have been collected and racial 

 studies are in progresSo In addition^ measurements of other species have 

 been made from time to time but not in sufficient quantities for racial 

 studies. There is a need to publish the detailed measurements as part of 

 the studies in progress and a need to make available to other workers the 

 detailed measurements which probably will not be used by POFI for some time 

 to comeo This paper is intended to fill these tv/o needs „ 



Accordingly, there are presented here the detailed measurements 

 of 10 groups of tunaso Using the riomcnclature aiopted by Rosa {I950)i./ they 

 are as follows: 



Yellowfin tuna, Neothurmus macrcpterus ( Temminck and Schlegel) 1842 „ 

 iiigeye tuna, Parathunn us sibi ^.Temmmck and Schlegel) 1844o 

 Albacore^ (ierrrio alal'-;nga (Bonnaterre ) 1788o 

 Skipjack^ Katsuwonus pel amis (Linnaeus) I'^-SBo 

 Bluefin tuna. Tlmnnuo t hynnu s (Linnaeus) 1758„ 



Ihunnus oriental is (Temminck and Schlegel) 1842 , 

 Thumius maccoy ij. "("Castlenau) 1872o 

 Australian northern bluefin tuna, Kishinoella tonggol (Bleeker) 



1352 „ ~ ^ ' *~~ 



Little tunny, Eut hynnu s a f finis (Cantor) 1850o 

 I^ogtooth tuna,'~T K-mn.o5'ard"a " nuda ( Gunther) io60c 

 i-'ouble-lined mackerel j uramraatcrcynus bicarinatus (Qucy and Gaimard) 



1S25, ~ ~~ 



Frigate mackerelp Auxis thazard (Lacepede) 1802, 



The tables (listed on page 6 ) include only measurements that have not 

 been published previouslvo Additional comparable measurements of Pacific 

 tunas will be found in other publicationsjj e.g.,, Godsil (l948), Schaefer 

 (1943), Schaefer and Walford (1950)^ Godsil and Greenhcod (1951), and 

 Schaefar (1952). 



The data have been classified in rather arbitrary geographic units 

 (figo l). The Pacific Ocean has been divided into north end south parts 

 separated by an equatorial zone between 10° Nc and 10° So latitudeso Minor 

 deviations from this zone were made in the western Marshall Islands area, 

 which was extended north to 12° N„ latitude to include specimens collected 

 near Bikini, and for certain specimens from the Marquesas which were measured 

 in a frozen condition and hence not included v/ith specimens collected near 

 the Equator and measured virhile fresh. Meridional lines at 129° Wo longitude 

 and l'^0° W, longitude separate eastern, central, and western areas o Several 

 of the meridional lines dividing the equatorial area have been located on 

 the 9-degree longitude lines in order to place in the same area all the speci- 

 mens from cartain cruises along the 10-degree lines., 



1/ Except Grammatorcynus .vhich Rosa does not include^ 



