Species Thunnus alalunga (Bonnaterre, 1788)

Museums

Regional Maps

External Links

• Scomber alalunga Bonnaterre, J.P. 1788. Tableau Encyclopédique et Méthodique des trois Règnes de la Nature. Ichthyologie. Paris. pp. 1-215, 102 pls [139] [description based on Scomber pinnis pectoralibus longissimis Cetti, F. 1777. Storia Naturale di Sardegna. 3. Anfibi e Pesci. Sassari 208 pp. 5 pls. [not seen], p. 324].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown, Sardinia (as `Mediterraneo').
• Germo germon steadi Whitley, G.P. 1933. Studies in Ichthyology No. 7. Records of the Australian Museum 19(1): 60-112 figs 1-4 pls 11-15 [81, pl. 11(1)].

  Type data:

   Holotype AM IA.2457, NSW.
  Paratype(s) AM IA.47.
• Scomber germon Lacépède, B.G. 1800. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : chez Plassan Vol. 2 632 pp. 20 pls. [598] (also in Lacépède 1801:1 as Scomber germo).

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown, Eastern Pacific.
• Scomber germo Lacépède, B.G. 1801. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : chez Plassan Vol. 3 558 pp. 34 pls. [1] [the same species as described earlier as Scomber germon].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown (based on figure in Commerson MS), Eastern Pacific.

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Gibbs, R.H. & Collette, B.B. 1967. Comparative anatomy and systematics of the tunas, genus Thunnus. Fishery Bulletin (U.S.) 66(1): 65-130 figs 1-32 [99]

 

Generic Combinations

• Thunnus alalunga (Bonnaterre, 1788). —
  South, J.F. 1845. Thunnus. pp. 620–622 in Smedley, E., Rose, H.J. & Rose, H.J. (eds) Encyclopedia Metropolitana. London Vol. 25. [622]
• Thunnus alalunga germo (Lacépède, 1801). —
  Munro, I.S.R. 1961. Handbook of Australian fishes. Nos 1–42. Australian Fisheries Newsletter 15–17, 19, 20: 1-172 [published as separates 1956–1961] [111] (742, changed combination cited)
• Thunnus germo (Lacépède, 1801). —
  Roughley, T.C. 1957. Fish and Fisheries of Australia. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 341 pp. [121] (changed combination cited)
• Thunnus germon (Lacépède, 1800). —
  McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part II. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 145–329 [263]

 

Introduction

Albacore are heavily fished in many parts of the world. This species was listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN in 2011.

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Common in all States except NT, absent from Arafura Sea and Gulf of Carpentaria, fished commercially around Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island; tropical, subtropical temperate, circumglobal.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Tasmania Province (10), Southeast Transition (11), Central Eastern Province (12), Tasman Basin Province (13), Lord Howe Province (14), Central Eastern Transition (15), Kenn Transition (16), Kenn Province (17), Northeast Province (18), Northeast Transition (19), Timor Province (2), Cape Province (20), Norfolk Island Province (21), Cocos (Keeling) Island Province (22), Northwest Shelf Transition (26), Northwest Shelf Province (27), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Northwest Transition (3), Southwest Shelf Transition (30), Southwest Shelf Province (31), Great Australian Bight Shelf Transition (32), Spencer Gulf Shelf Province (33), Western Bass Strait Shelf Transition (34), Bass Strait Shelf Province (35), Tasmanian Shelf Province (36), Southeast Shelf Transition (37), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39), Northwest Province (4), Northeast Shelf Province (40), Northeast Shelf Transition (41), Central Western Transition (5), Central Western Province (6), Southwest Transition (7), Southern Province (8), West Tasmania Transition (9)

Other Regions

Coral Sea Islands Territory, Territory of Ashmore & Cartier Islands

Ecological Descriptors

Epipelagic, marine, mesopelagic, oceanic province, pelagic, schooling.

 

General References

Allan, R. 2002. Australian Fish and How to Catch Them. Sydney : New Holland Publishers (Australia) 394 pp. [76]

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. [230]

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls. [142] (947)

Collette, B.B. 2001. Scombridae. pp. 3721-3756 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218. [3752]

Collette, B.B. & Nauen, C.E. 1983. FAO species catalogue. Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of tunas, mackerels, bonitos and related species known to date. Fisheries Synopsis No. 125, Vol. 2. Rome : FAO. 137 pp. 81 figs [81]

Fraser-Brunner, A. 1950. The fishes of the family Scombridae. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 12 3(7): 131-163 figs 1-35 [143]

Gibbs, R.H. & Collette, B.B. 1967. Comparative anatomy and systematics of the tunas, genus Thunnus. Fishery Bulletin (U.S.) 66(1): 65-130 figs 1-32 [100]

Gomon, M.F. 2008. Families Sphyraenidae to Centrolophidae. pp. 774-800 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp. [788]

Gomon, M.F. & Robertson, E.M. 1994. Family Scombridae. pp. 819-828, figs 724-732 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. [826]

Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp. [104, 141]

Hutchins, J.B. & Thompson, M. 1983. The Marine and Estuarine Fishes of South-western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 103 pp. 345 figs. [62, 86]

Kailola, P.J., Williams, M.J., Stewart, P.C., Reichelt, R.E., McNee, A. & Grieve, C. 1993. Australian Fisheries Resources. Canberra : Bureau of Resource Sciences and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation 422 pp. [354]

McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part II. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 145–329 [263]

Munro, I.S.R. 1961. Handbook of Australian fishes. Nos 1–42. Australian Fisheries Newsletter 15–17, 19, 20: 1-172 [published as separates 1956–1961] [111] (742, as Thunnus alalunga germo)

Pepperell, J. 2010. Fishes of the Open Ocean a Natural History & Illustrated Guide. Sydney : University of New South Wales Press Ltd 266 pp. [78]

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs. [448]

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs. [448]

Roughley, T.C. 1957. Fish and Fisheries of Australia. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 341 pp. [121] (as T germo)

Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [48] (1414, as Germo germon steadi)

 

Common Name References

Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. [826] (Long-fin Tunny, Long-finned Albacore)

Grant, E.M. 1991. Fishes of Australia. Brisbane : EM Grant Pty Ltd 480 pp. [163] (Albacore)

Kailola, P.J., Williams, M.J., Stewart, P.C., Reichelt, R.E., McNee, A. & Grieve, C. 1993. Australian Fisheries Resources. Canberra : Bureau of Resource Sciences and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation 422 pp. [350] (Albacore Tuna)

Seafood Services Australia 2008. Australian Fish Names Standard. http://www.fishnames.com.au/. (Albacore)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
15-May-2013		15-May-2013	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)