SWORDFISH FAMILIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19797, 18 November 1927, Page 14

SWORDFISH FAMILIES.

QUESTION OF IDENTIFICATION NOTES FROM. BRITISH MUSEUM. In view of the discussions which have taken place over the scientific identification of swordfish since Mr. Zane Grey fished in North Auckland waters, some notes by Mr. J. R. Norman, of the natural history section of the British Museum, are of particular interest. They are quoted by Mr. T. E. Donne in his new book, "Rod Fishing in New Zealand Waters." "There are two distinct families of socalled swordfishes, namely, Xiphiidac, the swordfishes proper, and Ilistiophoridae, the sail fishes," says Mr. Norman. "The first family contains a single genus and species, Xiphias gladius (the swordfish), of nearly world-wide distribution. This may be readily distinguished from all the sailfishes by its flattened rostrum and by the complete absence of pelvic fins. Waite includes this fish in his New Zealand list, but it does not appear in any of the photographs in the paper which you recently sent rue. Whether Zane Grey's "broadbill' is really 11 Xiphias it is impossible to say without seeing a specimen, but its apparent depressed rostrum suggests that it might be. "The second family, the sailfishes, contains two genera, viz., Ilistiophorus and Tetrapturus. The former has the dorsal fin very high, like a great sail, and undivided. The latter has the dorsal fin low and divided into two parts. "There is no doubt that the New Zealand 'black marlin' and 'striped marlin' belong to this second genus, and possibly the 'broadbill' also, but this genus has not been finally defined." Mr. Norman informed Mr. Donne that the Indo-Pacific examples of swordfishes have not yet been fully considered, and therefore their classification has not been definitely defined. [ "Those varieties which have been | caught off the New Zealand coast," says Mr. Donne, "are, in the vernacular, termed: (1) 'Broadbill,' because of his broad and flat rostrum or beak; (2) 'black marlin,' which has a cylindrical rostrum: and (3) 'striped marlin' or 'tiger of tho sea.' whose rostrum is of similar form to that of the 'black marlin,' but whereas the skin of the latter is of very dark hue, hence the name, the 'striped marlin' has a dark skin marked with definite and perpendicular bands of silver. Some of the specimens of 'black marlin' caught at the Bay of Islands havj> shown somewhat indefinite marked stripes on their black skins. "The general classification of New Zealand Histiophoridae, as far as I can ascertain, appears to be as follows: The 'broadbill' (Tetrapturus brevirostris); the 'black marlin' (T. indicus) ; the 'striped marlin' (T. mitsukurii). In a recent (1926) official American publication the toxonomy of the 'striped marlin' caught on tho coast of New Zealand is referred to as 'Makaira Zealandica." Makaira is a Maori word: Maka, shy, and ira, natural marks on the skin, an apt name for this swordfish."