148 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
KEY TO THE SPECIES 
a. Origin of dorsal behind origin of anal, about equidistant from base of ventral and base of 
caudal, with 13 to 17 rays; caudal fin scarcely forked, the margin merely concave; a dark 
lateral band present on sides and a median band on back marinus, p. 148 
aa. Origin of dorsal over the origin of the anal, much nearer the base of the ventral than base of 
caudal, with 23 rays; caudal fin well forked; no dark bands on sides or back acus, p. 149' 
65. Tylosurus marinus (Walbaum). Garfish; Houndfish; Billfish; Needlefish. 
Esox marinus Walbaum, Artedi Piscium, III, 1792, p. 88; Long Island. 
Belone longiroslris Uhler and Lugger, 1876, ed. I, p. 142; ed. II, p. 121. 
Tylosurus marinus Bean, 1883, p. 366; Bean, 1891, p. 92; Smith, 1892, p. 69; Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 714; Smith 
and Bean, 1899, p. 185; Evermann and Hildebrand, 1910, p. 160; Fowler, 1912, p. 54. 
Head 2.45 to 3.25; depth 14.3 to 24; D. 13 to 17; A. 17 to 21; scales about 325. Body slender, 
not compressed, very slender in young; caudal peduncle depressed, broader than deep, with a 
slight keel on the sides, its depth 15 to 20 in head; head long, flat above and with a broad groove; 
cheeks and opercles straight and nearly vertical; snout produced into a long slender beak, its length 
l. 47 to 1.87 in head; eye 9.5 to 13; interorbital 9.5 to 13; mouth large, horizontal; lower jaw the 
longer; upper jaw scarcely arched; teeth in bands in each jaw, very sharply pointed, the inner 
ones enlarged, caninelike; lateral line complete, on lower edge of sides, curved upward on posterior 
part of caudal peduncle; scales small, cycloid, present on the preopercle but not on the opercle; 
dorsal fin inserted behind origin of anal, about equidistant from base of ventrals and base of caudal, 
the anterior 6 or 7 rays much longer than the posterior ones; caudal fin with concave margin; 
anal fin similar to the dorsal but with a somewhat longer base; ventral fins rather small, inserted 
about an eye’s diameter nearer margin of opercle than base of caudal; pectoral fins moderate, the 
upper ravs the longest, 3.4 to 4.7 in head. 
Color greenish above, silvery on sides, white below; a dark greenish stripe on median line of 
back and a narrower bluish silvery stripe along sides, becoming broader and less distinct posteriorly 
and frequently disappearing on caudal peduncle in large specimens; snout dark green; cheeks and 
opercles silvery; a blackish blotch, deeper than long, on upper part of preopercle; dorsal plain 
translucent or somewhat dusky, the longest rays yellowish at tips; caudal bluish at base, the lobes 
yellowish; anal plain, the longest rays dusky in some specimens, yellowish in others; ventrals and 
pectorals plain. 
Many specimens of this common species were preserved. The above description is based upon 
specimens ranging from 47 to 619 millimeters (1% to 24% inches) in length. This fish is disting- 
uished from related species by the short dorsal and anal fins, which, however, show considerable 
variation among individuals in the number of rays present. In 130 specimens, 3 had 13 rays in the 
dorsal, 11 had 14, 35 had 15, 66 had 16, and 15 had 17. In the same number of fish, 7 had 17 rays 
in the anal fin, 40 had 18, 65 had 19, 17 had 20, and 1 had 21. The body is cylindrical at all ages, 
but it is much more slender in the young than in larger fish, which accounts for the great variation 
in the depth of the body shown in the description. 
The food of this gar, according to the literature consulted, consists almost wholly of fish. We 
are able to substantiate this statement by the fact that of 18 stomachs examined, the contents, 
with a single exception, consisted of small fish, including the silver mullet ( Mugil curema), the 
killifish ( Fundulus diaphanus), and one or more species of silverside. One specimen had fed on 
shrimp. It is said to take small fish crosswise in its jaws, afterwards turning its prey around for the 
purpose of swallowing it. 
Little is known of the spawning habits of this fish, but it is said that the eggs are deposited 
during the summer in bays and estuaries (Smith, 1907, p. 157). The ovary is single and a very 
large number of eggs are produced at one time. A specimen taken on May 21, 1921, has the ovary 
greatly distended with eggs that slightly exceed 1 millimeter in diameter. 
The habit of surface swimming, which is correlated with surface feeding, makes this gar one 
of the most conspicuous fishes, and it is therefore well known to those living on the sea shores within 
the range of the species. Its movements are very swift and it is extremely difficult to catch with 
a dip net. It readily becomes entangled in the meshes of a seine or drag net, however, because of 
