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• Taxonomy
• Physical Description
• Distribution
• Habitat
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
• More Info
• Notes
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Overview:

Family: Billfishes; Oceanic, usually found in surface waters above the thermocline, often near shore close to land masses, islands and coral reefs. Feed on fishes, squids, cuttlefishes, octopods, large decapod crustaceans and mostly on small tunas when abundant (Ref. 9668). The flesh is of good quality; marketed refrigerated or frozen and prepared as sashimi in Japan (Ref. 9308). Also Ref. 9692.

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms:

1. Histiophorus brevirostris Playfair, 1867
2. Istiomax indicus (Cuvier, 1832)
3. Istiompax australis Whitley, 1931
4. Istiompax brevirostris (Playfair, 1867)
5. Istiompax dombraini Whitley, 1954
6. Istiompax indicus (Cuvier, 1832)
7. Istiompax marlina (Jordan & Hill, 1926)
8. Maikaira indica (Cuvier, 1832)
9. Makaira ampla subsp. marlina Jordan & Hill, 1926
10. Makaira ampla subsp. tahitiensis Nichols & LaMonte, 1935
11. Makaira australis (MacLeay, 1854)
12. Makaira brevirostris Playfair, 1867
13. Makaira indicus (Cuvier, 1832)
14. Makaira malina Jordan & Hill, 1926
15. Makaira marhina Jordan & Hill, 1926
16. Makaira marlina Jordan & Hill, 1926
17. Makaira marlina subsp. marlina Jordan & Hill, 1926
18. Makaira marlina subsp. tahitiensis Nichols & LaMonte, 1935
19. Makaira mazara subsp. tahitiensis Nichols & LaMonte, 1935
20. Makaira nigricans subsp. marlina Jordan & Hill, 1926
21. Makaira nigricans subsp. tahitiensis Nichols & LaMonte, 1935
22. Makaira xantholineata Deraniyagala, 1956
23. Malina malina (Jordan & Hill, 1926)
24. Marlina marlina (Jordan & Hill, 1926)
25. Tetrapturus australis Macleay, 1854
26. Tetrapturus brevirostris (Playfair, 1867)
27. Tetrapturus indicus Cuvier, 1832

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Data last modified by FishBase 24-Feb-1994

Physical Description

Family Istiophoridae:

Distribution: most tropical and subtropical waters. Premaxilla and nasal bones produced, forming a spear-like bill or rostrum with a rounded cross-section. Gill membranes not united to isthmus. Very narrow pelvic fins. Jaw teeth present. Two keels on each side of caudal peduncle in adults. Dorsal fin extending over much of body length; sometimes resembling a sail. Dorsal fin can be depresssed into a groove. Lateral line persists in life. Vertebrae 24. Maximum length 4 m. Bill used for stunning prey fish. The morphological adaptations required for maintaining high brain and retinal temperatures are discussed in Brock et al. 1993 Science 260:210-214. Very popular as game fish.

The family Istiophoridae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and the Order Perciformes. It contains 3 genera and 11 species. It may be found in Marine environments and is primarily Marine. Members of this family are not used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are nonguarders. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is thunniform. Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be very active. Members of this family have been dated back to the Cretaceous period. Etymology of this family name: Greek, istion = sail + Greek, pherein = to carry

Images:

Distribution

Range and Population

East Pacific, Indo-West Pacific

Indo-Pacific: tropical and subtropical waters, occasionally entering temperate waters. Stray individuals migrate into the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Cape of Good Hope, but the existence of Atlantic breeding stocks is unlikely. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea^[1].

Habitat

Biome

Saltwater. Pelagic.

Similar Species

Members of the genus Makaira:

There are approximately 24 species and subspecies in this genus: M. ampla ampla · M. ampla marlina · M. ampla mazara · M. ampla tahitiensis · M. audax zelandica · M. nigricans · M. grammatica · M. indica · M. indica (Black Marlin) · M. marlina marlina · M. marlina tahitiensis · M. mazara (Black Spearfish) · M. mazara tahitiensis · M. nigricana · M. nigricans (Atlantic Blue Marlin) · M. nigricans ampla · M. nigricans marlina · M. nigricans mazara · M. nigricans nigricans · M. nigricans tahitiensis · M. purdyi · M. striped skelleton · M. white · M. white whale

Bibliography

• Bearez, P. (1996). Lista de los peces marinos del Ecuador continental. Rev. Biol. Trop. 44(2):731-741.
• Duong, T.T. (2001). Mot so loai ca thuong gap o bien Viet Nam (Viet Nam's Common Marine Fishes Catalogue). Ministry of Fisheries of Viet Nam - Fisheries Information Center of Viet Nam.
• Edwards, A. (1990). Fish and fisheries of Saint Helena Island. Centre for Tropical Coastal Management Studies, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
• Japan International Cooperation Agency (1987). The fisheries resources survey in Fiji and Tuvalu. Figures and tables. Japan International Cooperation Agency, April 1987.
• Kailola, P.J. (1991). The fishes of Papua New Guinea: a revised and annotated checklist. Vol. III. Gobiidae to Molidae. Research Bulletin No. 41, Research Section, Dept. of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Papua New Guinea. 153 p.
• Kailola, P.J., M.J. Williams, P.C. Stewart, R.E. Reichelt, A. McNee and C. Grieve (1993). Australian fisheries resources. Bureau of Resource Sciences, Canberra, Australia. 422 p.
• Kapoor, D., R. Dayal and A.G. Ponniah (2002). Fish biodiversity of India. National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources Lucknow, India.775 p.
• Kulbicki, M., J.E. Randall and J. Rivaton (1994). Checklist of the fishes of the Chesterfield Islands (Coral Sea). Micronesica 27(1/2):1-43.
• Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno and T. Yoshino (1984). The fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Vol. 1 (text). Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. 437 p. (text), 370 pls.
• Myers, R.F. (1999). Micronesian reef fishes: a comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia, 3rd revised and expanded edition. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 330 p.
• Nakamura, I. (1985). FAO species catalogue. Vol. 5. Billfishes of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of marlins, sailfishes, spearfishes and swordfishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 5(125):65 p.
• Nakamura, Izumi 1985. Billfishes of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Marlins, Sailfishes, Spearfishes and Swordfishes Known to Date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis, no. 125, vol. 5. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome, Italy. iv + 65. ISBN: 92-5-102232-1.
• Paulin, C., A. Stewart, C. Roberts and P. McMillan (1989). New Zealand fish: a complete guide. National Museum of New Zealand Miscellaneous Series No. 19. 279 p.
• Randall, J.E. (1995). Coastal fishes of Oman. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 439 p.
• Randall, J.E. and C. Anderson (1993). Annotated checklist of the epipelagic and shore fishes of the Maldives Islands. Ichthyol. Bull. of the J.L.B. Smith Inst. of Ichthyol. 59:47.
• Robins, Richard C., Reeve M. Bailey, Carl E. Bond, James R. Brooker, Ernest A. Lachner, et al. 1991. Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States and Canada, Fifth Edition. American Fisheries Society Special Publication, no. 20. American Fisheries Society. Bethesda, Maryland, USA. 183. ISBN: 0-913235-70-9.
• Wass, R. C. (1984). An annotated checklist of the fishes of Samoa. Natl. Ocean. Atmos. Adminis. Tech. Rept., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Spec. Sci. Rept. Fish. (781).
• Winterbottom, R. and R.C. Anderson (1997). A revised checklist of the epipelagic and shore fishes of the Chagos Archipelago, Central Indian Ocean. Ichthyol. Bull. Smith. Inst. (66):1-28.

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Notes

Contributors:

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed April 20, 2007.
• FishBase
• FishBase 2006.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 29, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 6 providers.
• Paxton, John (from FishBase).

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 29, 2008:

• FishBase: FishBase DiGIR Provider - Philippine Server
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Bureau of Rural Sciences National commercial fisheries half-degree data set 2000-2002 (OBIS Australia)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: CSIRO Marine Data Warehouse (OBIS Australia)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: iziko South African Museum - Fish Collection
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (First Semester of 1986)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (First Semester of 1987)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (First Semester of 1988)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (First Semester of 1989)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (First Semester of 1990) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (First Semester of 1991) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (First Semester of 1992) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (First Semester of 1993) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (First Semester of 1994) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (First Semester of 1995) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (First Semester of 1998) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (First Semester of 1999) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (First Semester of 2003) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (Second Semester of 1987)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (Second Semester of 1988)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (Second Semester of 1989)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (Second Semester of 1992) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (Second Semester of 1997) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (Second Semester of 1998) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (Second Semester of 1999) (AfrOBIS)
• Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History: Vertebrate specimens
• Marine Science Institute, UCSB: Paleobiology Database
• Museum national d'histoire naturelle: Ichtyologie
• National Chemical Laboratory: IndOBIS, Indian Ocean Node of OBIS
• OZCAM (Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums) Provider: Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums

Identifiers:

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 172492
• Fishbase Species ID: 217
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 108913
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 116062

Footnotes:

1. FAO Fisheries Department (1994). World review of highly migratory species and straddling stocks. FAO Fish. Tech. Pap. No. 337. Rome, FAO. 70 p.