First record of the butterfly kingfish Gasterochisma melampus (Scombridae) from the north Pacific Ocean

• Published in: Gyoruigaku zasshi Vol. 40; no. 4; pp. 482 - 486
• Main Authors: Ito, R.Y. (National Marine Fisheries Service, Hawaii (USA)), Hawn, D.R, Collette, B.B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo The Ichthyological Society of Japan 15.02.1994; Nippon Gyogaku Shinkokai
• Subjects: Agnatha. Pisces; ALETAS (PEZ); Biological and medical sciences; BODY MEASUREMENTS; DISTRIBUCION GEOGRAFICA; DISTRIBUTION GEOGRAPHIQUE; FINS; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gasterochisma melampus; GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION; LINE FISHING; Marine; MEDICION DEL CUERPO; MENSURATION CORPORELLE; NAGEOIRE; NORTH PACIFIC; PACIFICO DEL NORTE; PACIFIQUE NORD; PECHE A LA LIGNE; PESCA CON LINEA; SCOMBROIDEI; TEMPERATURA DEL AGUA; TEMPERATURE DE L'EAU; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; WATER TEMPERATURE; Pacific Ocean; North Pacific; ISE, USA, Hawaii; Marine environment; Vertebrata; Geographic distribution; Taxonomy; Pisces; First record; Morphometry
• ISSN: 0021-5090; 1884-7374
• DOI: 10.11369/jji1950.40.482

In Feb 1993, a large butterfly kingfish Gasterochisma melampus Richardson was caught in the North Pacific north of the hawaiian Archipelago. Gasterochisma is distributed widely throughout the southern hemisphere, usually between 35 degree and 50 degree S. It is most abundant in waters with sea surface temperatures of 8 degree to 10 degree C, south of the subtropical convergence zone. In this note we describe this specimen and compare it with other large Gasterochisma from within its normal range. Morphometric characters and their abbreviations are the same as those used in previous scombrid papers such as Collette an Gillis (1992). There is a single previous unpublished record of a specimen of Gasterochisma from north of its normal range. During the summer of 1976, the third author received photographs of an adult specimen which had been caught with a net at 37.8 km (23.6 miles) off General Villamil Beach in the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador, from Sr. Luis A. Flores, International Game Fish Association representative.