Shortbill spearfish
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| iShortbill spearfish | ||||||||||||||
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 Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
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| Tetrapturus angustirostris Tanaka, 1915 |
The shortbill spearfish, Tetrapturus angustirostris, is a species of marlin found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate Indo-Pacific oceans not far from the surface. It is a commercial game fish with a published weight of 52 kg and a maximum length of 230 cm.
The shortbill spearfish's body is dark blue above, blue splattered with brown on the sides, and silvery white below. The first dorsal fin is long and high and dark blue in colour - the other fins are brown or dark brown. The upper jaw only just extends past the lower jaw and hardly qualifies as a sword-like bill. The long scythe-like pectoral fins can be folded back flat against the body, and the pelvic fins are each reduced to a single elongate ray. There are two strengthening keels on the caudal peduncle.
Shortbill spearfish primarily feed on cephalopods and crustacean. They are also caught as a by-catch of long lines with hooks intended for tuna.
[edit] References
- "Tetrapturus angustirostris". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. February 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.}
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
