Relevant synonyms Tetrapturus indicus Tetrapturus brevirostris Makaira australis Misidentification None Meristic formula D1, 38-42; D2, 6-7; A1, 13-14; A2, 6-7; P, 19-20; V, 1-2  drawing : Tuvia Kurz

SHORT DESCRIPTION Body robust, slightly compressed. Head with upper jaw and snout prolonged in a stout bill, round in cross-section. Nape elevated. Branchiostegal membranes joined but free from isthmus. No gillrakers. Small, file-like teeth in jaws and palatines. First dorsal fin height less than body depth, pointed anteriorly and decreasing gradually, ending close to the second dorsal fin. Two anal fins, both pointed anteriorly; origin of second slightly behind that of second dorsal fin origin. Pectoral fin rigid (cannot be folded flat against body side). Pelvic fin very narrow, depressible into ventral grooves. Two keels on each side of caudal peduncle and located at the base of the caudal fin lobes. color : head and body dark blue dorsally and silvery-white ventrally. First dorsal fin dark blue or blackish; other fin dark brown. size : common 150-310 cm (max. 460 cm - ca. 700 kg). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Makaira nigricans: non-rigid pectoral fin (can be folded back against side of body), reticulated lateral line. Istiophorus albicans: dorsal fins higher than body depth and sail-like; pelvic fin much longer than pectoral fin. Tetrapturus spp.: nape almost straight (highly elevated in Makaira); tip of dorsal fin rounded. Xiphias gladius: no pelvic fins. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Feeding on a variety of fish, including small tuna, squids and crustaceans. habitat : epipelagic oceanic.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Camogli, Ligurian Sea, 1987*. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : primarily an Indo-Pacific species, it migrates into the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Cape of Good Hope, where it is common. Mediterranean : one single specimen reported in Camogli, Ligurian Sea (Orsi-Relini and Costa, 1987)*. * Note: no other record in the Mediterranean. However, Bini (1968) mentioned a very large billfish (385 cm, 310 kg) that was caught in a tuna trap at Gallipoli, Ionian Sea, but not preserved. On the basis of the recorded sizes, it clearly belonged to the genus Makaira. ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Very rare. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Probably via Gibraltar. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS Important as fishery resource in the Indo-Pacific, with more than 5000 t per year; caught by longlines, setnets, harpooning and trolling. Highly esteemed species among big game fish.

KEY REFERENCES Bini G., 1968. Atlante dei Pesci delle coste italiane - 6. Ed. Mondo Sommerso, Roma. 177pp. Nakamura I., 1985. Billfishes of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of marlins, sailfishes, spearfishes and swordfishes known to date. FAO Species Catalogue, Vol. 5. FAO Fish Synopsis, (125) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 65 pp. Orsi Relini L. and Costa V., 1987. Cattura di un Marlin a Camogli: segnalazione di Makaira indica (Cuvier, 1832) (Osteichthyes, Istiophoridae) nel Mediterraneo. Doriana, 6(259): 1-4. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: April 2002 ©ciesm 2002