NOTES 
Two Juvenile Pointed-tailed Ocean Sunfish, Masturus lanceolatm^ 
from Hawaiian Waters 
OSEPH E. King^ 
The pointed-tailed ocean sunfish. Mas- 
turns lanceolatus (Lienard), is one of the 
"rare” marine fishes although it has been 
recorded from the tropical and subtropical 
areas of all oceans. In Gudger’s review 
(1937<^) of the natural history and distribu- 
tion of the species^ he reported only 59 
authenticated records of the fish in the hun- 
dred years after its discovery in 1836. Strange- 
ly enough, of these 59 individuals there were 
28 young and 31 adults, with no examples 
between the largest small specimen (60 mm. 
or 2.4 inches, standard length) and the 
smallest large specimen (30.5 inches, total 
length). Brimley (1939) has supplied records 
of five adult fish, ranging in size from 28 to 
83 inches, that were not included in Gudger’s 
report; four of these fish were from North 
Carolina waters, the fifth from Florida. 
This wide gap between larval fish and 
adults was partially filled when three 6-inch 
juvenile fish were obtained from the stomach 
of a dolphin, Coryphaena hippurus L., taken 
in Florida waters (Gudger, 1938). Kuronuma 
(1940) described a juvenile M. lanceolatus, 
taken in a gill net in Japanese waters, which 
was 145 mm. in length from snout to caudal 
base and 259 mm. from snout to end of 
caudal fin. This interesting specimen differed 
from any previously described in that the 
caudal lobes was extended as a thin filament 
equal to approximately half the total body 
length. 
Recently, Fitch (1950) reported that M. 
Tishery Research Biologist, Pacific Oceanic Fishery 
Investigations, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hono- 
lulu, T. H. Manuscript received July 7, 1950. 
lanceolatus found quite commonly in the 
stomachs of yellowfin tuna taken in Hawaiian 
waters, nearly a hundred specimens varying 
in size from 14 inch to 2 inches having been 
obtained from this source. The only previous 
record of the species for Hawaiian waters is 
that of an adult fish, 37.3 inches in length, 
obtained from the Honolulu fish market in 
1919 (Fowler, 1928). 
The author has been unable to find in the 
literature any reports, except that of Kuro- 
numa ( 1940 ), which describe or figure the 
caudal fin of M. lanceolatus as having more 
than a short lobe-like extension which may be 
pointed in the very young but in the adults 
is usually frayed or mutilated. From this 
characteristic shape of the caudal fin the fish 
has derived its scientific name, Masturus lan- 
ceolatus [Gr., mastos, breast or nipple; Gr., 
oura, tail; L., lanceolatus, a little lance = the 
nipple-tailed, lance-tailed fish (Gudger, 
1937^)]. 
On April 11, 1950, during long-line fishing 
for tuna by the Fish and Wildlife Service re- 
search vessel Hugh M. Smith, a dolphin 
(1,100 mm. fork length) was taken just west 
of the island of Hawaii at 19° 30^ N. Lat.- 
156° 05 ' W. Long. In the dolphin’s stomach 
were two 5 -inch M> lanceolatus, one in good 
condition, the other with a gash on each side. 
Both specimens (in alcohol) are generally 
similar in coloration to the 6-inch fish de- 
scribed by Gudger (1938). They are dark gray 
dorsally, shading into milky-white on the 
lower two-thirds of the body. They have the 
typical gray spotting below the eyes and pec- 
toral fins and posteriorly above the anal fin. 
[ 108 } 
