Longbill spearfish

Longbill spearfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Istiophoridae
Genus: Tetrapturus
Species: T. pfluegeri
Binomial name
Tetrapturus pfluegeri
C. R. Robins & de Sylva, 1963

The longbill spearfish (Tetrapturus pfluegeri) is a species of marlin native to the Atlantic Ocean where it is found above the thermocline in open waters. This species can reach a length of 254 centimetres (100 in) FL and the maximum weight recorded is 58 kilograms (128 lb).[2] It feeds on pelagic fishes such as needlefish, tuna, and jack, as well as squids. They spawn once a year.

Description

The longbill spearfish is a blueish black color from above, and silvery-white and brown on the sides. The pectorals are blackish-brown and the dorsal fins are dark blue.

References

  1. Collette, B., Amorim, A.F., Boustany, A., Carpenter, K.E., de Oliveira Leite Jr., N., Fox, W., Fredou, F.L., Graves, J., Viera Hazin, F.H., Juan Jorda, M., Minte Vera, C., Miyabe, N., Nelson, R., Oxenford, H., Teixeira Lessa, R.P. & Pires Ferreira Travassos, P.E. 2011. Tetrapturus pfluegeri. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 19 October 2013.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). "Tetrapturus pfluegeri" in FishBase. August 2013 version.
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