Tetrapturus audax

• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
• More Info
• Notes

Common Names

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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

Habitat

Epipelagic and oceanic species, usually found above the thermocline. Generally inhabit cooler water than either black ( Makaira indica ) or blue marlin ( M. mazara ) (Ref. 43). Most dominant and widely distributed of all billfishes . Their abundance increases with distance from the continental shelf (Ref. 6390). Usually seen close to shore only where deep drop-offs occur (Ref. 6390).

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -5,685 meters (0 to -18,652 feet).Mean = -2,724.240 meters (-8,937.795 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,599.750 based on 1,581 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Biome: Saltwater . Pelagic .

Biology

Diet

Feed on fishes , crustaceans and squids .

Behavior

Mostly solitary, but form small schools by size during the spawning season (Ref. 9987). They are usually dispersed at considerably wide distances

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Histiophorus audax Philippi, 1887
2. Istiophorus audax (Philippi, 1887)
3. Kajikia formosana Hirasaka & Nakamura, 1947
4. Kajikia mitsukurii (Jordan & Snyder, 1901)
5. Makaira audax (Philippi, 1887)
6. Makaira audax subsp. zelandica Jordan & Evermann, 1926
7. Makaira formosana (Hirasaka & Nakamura, 1947)
8. Makaira holei Jordan & Evermann, 1926
9. Makaira mitsukurii (Jordan & Snyder, 1901)
10. Makaira tenuirostratus (Deraniyagala, 1951)
11. Makaira zelandica Jordan & Evermann, 1926
12. Makairaf grammatica Jordan & Evermann, 1926
13. Marlina audax (Philippi, 1887)
14. Marlina jauffreti Smith, 1956
15. Marlina mitsukurii (Jordan & Snyder, 1901)
16. Marlina zelandica (Jordan & Evermann, 1926)
17. Tetrapterus audax (Philippi, 1887)
18. Tetrapturus acutirostratus Deraniyagala, 1952
19. Tetrapturus ectenes Jordan & Evermann, 1926
20. Tetrapturus mitsukurii Jordan & Snyder, 1901
21. Tetrapturus tenuirostratus Deraniyagala, 1951

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Data last modified by FishBase 07-Mar-1995

Similar Species

Members of the genus Tetrapturus

There are approximately 11 species in this genus:

T. albidus (Atlantic White Marlin) · T. angastirostris · T. angustirostris (Japanese Spearfish) · T. angustrirostris · T. audax (Barred Marlin) · T. belone (Mediterranean Shortbill Spearfish) · T. pfluegeri · T. georgii (Roundscale Spearfish) · T. pfleugeri · T. pfluegeri (Atlantic Longbill Spearfish) · T. pfluegeride (Longbill Spearfish)

Bibliography

• Allen, G.R. and R.C. Steene (1988). Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island Natural History Association, Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, 6798, Australia. 197 p.
• Bearez, P. (1996). Lista de los peces marinos del Ecuador continental. Rev. Biol. Trop. 44(2):731-741.
• 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. 1980. A List of Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States and Canada, Fourth Edition. American Fisheries Society Special Publication, no. 12. American Fisheries Society. Bethesda, Maryland, USA. 174.
• 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.

More Info

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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 2006.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 01, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 6 providers.
• Heemstra, Phillip C. (from FishBase).
• MBLWHOI Library: Universal Biological Index and Organizer. uBio.org accessed July 18, 2008.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 01, 2008:

• Burke Museum: University of Washington Fish Collection
• 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: iziko South African Museum - Fish Collection
• 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 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 1996) (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 2000) (AfrOBIS)
• 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 1992) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (Second Semester of 1993) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (Second Semester of 1994) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (Second Semester of 1995) (AfrOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (Second Semester of 1996) (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)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset (Second Semester of 2000) (AfrOBIS)
• Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History: Vertebrate specimens
• National Chemical Laboratory: IndOBIS, Indian Ocean Node of OBIS
• OZCAM (Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums) Provider: Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2502916
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Fis-22962
• Fishbase Species ID: 223
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13537033
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 172504
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 126432

Footnotes

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