Marlin
- For other uses, see Marlin (disambiguation).
Marlin | ||||||||||
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Striped marlin, Tetrapturus audax
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Scientific classification | ||||||||||
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Istiophorus |
common name for are various large fish in the family Istiophoridae, characteri
Traditionally, the true marlins comprised the genus Makaira, with the white and striped marlins in the genus . However, although some recent taxonomies place the black marlin in genus Istiompax. The white and striped marlins are place dwith the spearfishes in the genus Tetrapturus or in their own genus Kajikia albida (Poey, 1860) — white marlin
Species Kajikia audax (Philippi, 1887) — striped marlin.
two or three species depending whether th eblue marlin is recognized as one or two species
Istiompax Whitley, 1931 — black marlin
Genus Istiophorus Lacepède, 1801 — sailfish Genus Kajikia Hirasaka and Nakamura, 1947 Genus Makaira Lacepède, 1802 — blue marlin, marlins Genus Tetrapturus Rafinesque, 1810 — spearfishes
Marlin, Istiophoridae, is a member of a group of marine fish known as "billfish", and is closely linked to the freshwater trout. A marlin has an elongated body, a spear-like snout, and a long rigid dorsal fin, which extends forwards to form a crest. Its common name is thought to derive from its notional resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike.[1] Even more so than their close relatives the scombrids, marlin are known to be incredibly fast swimmers, reaching speeds of about 110 kilometers per hour (68 mph).[2][3]
The larger species include the Atlantic blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, which have been reliably recorded in excess of 2 meters (6.6 ft) in length and 120 kilograms (260 lb) in weight, and the Black marlin, Makaira indica, which have been reliably recorded in excess of 5 meters (16 ft) in length and 670 kilograms (1,500 lb) in weight. They are popular sporting fish in certain tropical areas.
Marlin are rarely table fare, appearing mostly in fine dining restaurants. Most modern sport fishermen release marlin after unhooking. However, the old fisherman in Ernest Hemingway's novella The Old Man and the Sea was storied to have caught an 18-foot marlin in order to sell its meat at market.
Some large marlin, which may be able to set a record, are taken and weighed on shore. These records are most often recorded in the IGFA World Record Game Fish books.
Classification
The marlins are perciform fish, most closely related to the swordfish and Scombridae.
Family Istiophoridae
- Genus Istiophorus
- Istiophorus albicans - Atlantic Sailfish
- Istiophorus platypterus - Indo-Pacific Sailfish
- Genus Makaira
- Makaira indica - Black Marlin
- Makaira mazara - Indo-Pacific Blue Marlin
- Makaira nigricans - Atlantic Blue Marlin
- Genus Tetrapturus
- Tetrapturus albidus - Atlantic White Marlin
- Tetrapturus angustirostris - Shortbill Spearfish
- Tetrapturus audax - Striped Marlin
- Tetrapturus belone - Mediterranean Spearfish
- Tetrapturus georgii - Roundscale Spearfish
- Tetrapturus pfluegeri - Longbill Spearfish
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- ↑ Douglas Harper (November 2001). marlin. Online Etymological Dictionary.
- ↑ Johnson, G.D. & Gill, A.C. (1998). in Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.: Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press, 190–191. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ↑ The world's fastest fish
- "Istiophoridae". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. November 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.
- Block, B. A., J. R. Finnerty, A. F. R. Stewart, and J. Kidd. 1993. Evolution of endothermy in fish: Mapping physiological traits on a molecular phylogeny. Science 260: 210-214.
- Collette, B. B., J. R. McDowell, and J. E. Graves. 2006. Phylogeny of recent billfishes (Xiphioidei). Bulletin of Marine Science 79(3): 455-468. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
- Hebrank, J. H., M. R. Hebrank, J. H. Long, B. A. Block, and S. A. Wainwright. 1990. [http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/148/1/449.pdf Backbone mechanics of the blue marlin Makaira nigricans (Pisces, Istiophoridae). J. Exp. Biol 148: 449-459. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). 2008. Istiophoridae ITIS Taxonomic Serial No.: 172486. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
- Nelson, J. S. 2006. Fishes of the World, 4th edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0471250317.
- Nelson, J. S. 1994. Fishes of the World, 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0471547131.
- Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, 6th edition. Bethesda, MA: American Fisheries Society Special Publication 29.
External links
- News article: Marlin spears fisherman as it leaps across boat
- 'Ghost Fish' Revelation May Alter Marlin's Status from National Public Radio
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