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Makaira mazara

Akurā

Indo-Pacific Blue Marlin

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Indo-Pacific Blue Marlin, Blue Marlin, Pacific Blue Marlin, Black Marlin, Cuban Blue Marlin, Marlin; French Makaire Bleu Indo-Pacifique

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Akurā (RR MG AT AK), ‘Aurā Pūpū (MK MT), Sakulā Māli (TS), Sakurā Māri (TW), Akulā Toa (PK); Other Polynesian - Haura (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Tuamotus, Hawai‘i - tropical America; n. to Japan; s. to NZ (to 45°S)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, pelagic 0-80m

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food, Gamefish

KEY FEATURES: A robust, deep-bodied billfish, usually to 2m and 200kg. Blue above and silvery-white below with 15 lateral bars, fading when dead. Dorsal Fin distinctly less than body depth, and Pectoral Fins can fold against the body.

SIMILAR SPECIES: The Black Marlin (Makaira indica) is very similar but differs in NOT allowing the pectoral fins to fold against the body. The Striped Marlin (Tetrapterus audax) has a dorsal fin equal or greater than the body depth, and is laterally compressed in the anal fin area.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
	^^^P					P?

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
			P

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Makaira mazara (Jordan & Snyder, 1901)
SYNONYMS: Istiompax mazara; Makaira nigricans mazara; Tetrapturus mazara [O] [Makaira nigricans is the Atlantic Blue Marlin]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Perciformes; Scombroidei; XIPHIIDAE, Istiophorinae

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Cooks: "most common billfish in the Cook Islands" (Sims88). Rarotonga: "several specimens landed... each year", ID N.Sims (Sims88). Mangaia: Photo Sue Ngatokorua, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004.

References:
p.441 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.604 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 96-02 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....

Data Update History (information):
zB02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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