Black marlin
| Black marlin | ||||||||||||
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Black marlin ( Istiompax indica ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Istiompax | ||||||||||||
| Whitley , 1931 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Istiompax indica | ||||||||||||
| ( Cuvier , 1832) |
The black marlin ( Istiompax indica ) is a species of swordfish in the tropical marine regions of the Indo-Pacific .
distribution
The black marlin occurs in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans near the surface to a depth of more than 900 meters; occasionally it is also observed in temperate latitudes. Individual specimens sometimes migrate around the Cape of Good Hope into the Atlantic, but without forming a population there.
features
The body of the black marlin is elongated and barely compressed at the sides; the upper jaw forms a strong, not very long spear. Compared to the blue marlin , which occurs in the same habitat, the black marlin is more compact in its body shape and its spear is shorter and more powerful. The fish has two dorsal fins , of which the front is highest at the front end, but does not reach the height of the trunk. The pectoral fins are sickle-shaped; As an essential distinguishing feature to the blue marlin, they are hardly movable and cannot be placed on the body. The small scales are embedded in the skin and have 1 or 2 sharp points. The skin is black-blue on the upper side and silvery white on the underside, the front dorsal fin is almost black, the other fins rather dark brown. Occasionally, light blue, vertical stripes appear as a drawing, but most of the specimens are undrawn.
Female specimens normally weigh up to 650 kg, but specimens up to 4.65 m in length and 750 kg in mass have been caught.
Way of life
The black marlin usually lives in warm water (15–30 ° C) near the surface, often near land or on reefs, where it feeds on fish, squid and large crustaceans , whereby it prefers small tuna .
Systematics
The black marlin belonged to the genus Makaira for a long time and was only placed in the monotypical genus Istiompax after a recent revision of the swordfish-like genus , which forms the sister genus of Kajikia ( white marlin ( K. albidus ) and striped marlin ( K. audax )).
fishing
Because of its spectacular escapes and jumps, the black marlin is one of the most popular large fish among sport fishermen . It is not uncommon for these fish to be hooked near the reef. It is also important for commercial fishing and is prepared as sashimi in Japan .
swell
- Black Marlin on Fishbase.org (English)
- ↑ Bruce B. Collette, Jan R. McDowell, John E. Grawes: Phylogeny of recent Billfishes (Xiphioidei). Bulletin of Marine Science: 79 (3), 455-468, 2006
Web links
- Istiompax indica onthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Collette, B., Acero, A., Canales Ramirez, C., Carpenter, KE, Di Natale, A., Fox, W., Miyabe, N., Montano Cruz, R., Nelson, R., Schaefer, K., Serra, R., Sun, C., Uozumi, Y. & Yanez, E., 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2013.