| Indo-Pacific sailfish | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Carangiformes |
| Family: | Istiophoridae |
| Genus: | Istiophorus |
| Species: | I. platypterus |
| Binomial name | |
| Istiophorus platypterus (Shaw, 1792) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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TheIndo-Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) is asailfish native to theIndian andPacific Oceans and is naturalized in theAtlantic where it has entered theMediterranean Sea via theSuez Canal as aLessepsian migrant.[3] It is dark blue on top, brown-blue laterally, silvery white underbelly; upper jaw elongated in the form of a spear; firstdorsal fin greatly enlarged in the form of asail, with many black cones, its front squared off, highest at its midpoint;pelvic fins very narrow, reaching almost to the anus; body covered with embeddedscales, blunt at end;lateral line curved abovepectoral fin, then straight to base of tail. They have a large and sharp bill, which they use for hunting. They feed on tuna and mackerel, some of the fastest fish in the ocean. Most authorities only recognise a single species of sailfish,I. platypterus.[2]
It is theorized by marine biologists that the 'sail' (dorsal fin array) of the sailfish may serve the purpose of a cooling and heating system for this fish; this due to a network of a large number ofblood vessels found in the sail and because of "sail-raising" behaviour exhibited by the sailfish at or near the surface waters after or before high-speed bursts.[citation needed]
TheIUCN recognizes this species as thecosmopolitan sailfish, whereFishBase recognizes two species.
This fish is also featured in theCoat of Arms of Seychelles.
Common and widespread in the tropical and sub-tropical Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans, ranging into temperate waters.
Although targeted in some areas, the species is mostly taken as bycatch by tunalongliners. Sailfish are not as highly valued asmarlin, and are usually released. They are considered a hard-fightinggame fish by recreational anglers.
| Swordfish(1 species) |  | ||||||||||
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| Marlin |
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| Related topics | |||||||||||
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