| Marlin Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Atlantic blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Carangiformes |
| Suborder: | Menoidei |
| Family: | Istiophoridae Rafinesque, 1810 |
| Type genus | |
| Istiophorus Lacépède, 1801 | |
| Genera | |
Marlins are fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes 11 species.
The family's common name is thought to derive from their resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike. [1]
The family name Istiophoridae comes from the genus Istiophorus which first placed the species Istiophorus platypterus by George Kearsley Shaw in 1792 from the Greek word ἱστίονistion meaning "sail" that describes the shape of the species's dorsal fins. [2] : 6
Marlins have elongated bodies, a spear-like snout or bill, and a long, rigid dorsal fin which extends forward to form a crest.
Marlins are among the fastest marine swimmers. However, greatly exaggerated speeds are often claimed in popular literature, based on unreliable or outdated reports. [3]
The larger species include the Atlantic blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, which can reach 5 m (16 ft) in length and 820 kg (1,810 lb) in weight [4] and the black marlin, Istiompax indica, which can reach in excess of 5 m (16 ft) in length and 670 kg (1,480 lb) in weight. They are popular sporting fish in tropical areas. The Atlantic blue marlin and the white marlin are endangered due to overfishing. [5]
Marlins can change colour, lighting up their stripes just before attacking prey. [6]
The marlins are Istiophoriform fish, most closely related to the swordfish (which itself is the sole member of the family Xiphiidae). The carangiformes are believed to be the second-closest clade to marlins. Although previously thought to be closely related to Scombridae, genetic analysis only shows a slight relationship.
| Image | Genus | Living species | Common name |
|---|---|---|---|
 black marlin | Istiompax (Whitley, 1931) | Istiompax indica | black marlin |
 Atlantic sailfish | Istiophorus (Lacépède, 1801) | I. albicans | Atlantic sailfish |
| I. platypterus | Indo-Pacific sailfish | ||
 Atlantic blue | Makaira (Lacépède, 1802) | Makaira nigricans (Lacepède, 1802) | Atlantic blue marlin |
| Makaira mazara (Jordan & Snyder, 1901) | Indo-Pacific blue marlin | ||
 white marlin | Kajikia (Hirasaka & H. Nakamura, 1947) | Kajikia albida (Poey, 1860) | white marlin |
| Kajikia audax (Philippi (Krumweide), 1887) | striped marlin | ||
 longbill | Tetrapturus (Rafinesque, 1810) | Tetrapturus angustirostris (S. Tanaka (I), 1915) | shortbill spearfish |
| Tetrapturus belone (Rafinesque, 1810) | Mediterranean spearfish | ||
| Tetrapturus georgii (R.T. Lowe, 1841) | roundscale spearfish | ||
| Tetrapturus pfluegeri (C. R. Robins & de Sylva, 1963) | longbill spearfish |
Marlins have a continuous fossil record from the Miocene onwards, with the oldest uncontroversial fossil dated to 22 million years ago. [7] It is thought that they probably evolved in the Paratethys Sea. [8]
The following fossil genera are known: [9] [10]
In the Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway's 1952 novel The Old Man and the Sea , the central character of the work is an aged Cuban fisherman who, after 84 days without success on the water, heads out to sea to break his run of bad luck. On the 85th day, Santiago, the old fisherman, hooks a resolute marlin; what follows is a great struggle between man, sea creature, and the elements.
Frederick Forsyth's story "The Emperor", in the collection No Comebacks , tells of a bank manager named Murgatroyd, who catches a marlin and is acknowledged by the islanders of Mauritius as a master fisherman.
A marlin features prominently in the last chapter and climactic scenes of Christina Stead's The Man Who Loved Children . Sam's friend Saul gives Sam a marlin, and Sam makes his children help him render the fish's fat.
The Miami Marlins, a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, is named after the fish.
The Atlantic sailfish is a species of marine fish in the family Istiophoridae of the order Istiophoriformes. It is found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, except for large areas of the central North Atlantic and the central South Atlantic, from the surface to depths of 200 m (656 ft). The Atlantic sailfish is related to the marlin.
The Atlantic blue marlin is a species of marlin endemic to the Atlantic Ocean. It is closely related to, and usually considered conspecific with, the Indo-Pacific blue marlin, then simply called blue marlin. Some authorities consider both species distinct.
The sailfish is one of two species of marine fish in the genus Istiophorus, which belong to the family Istiophoridae (marlins). They are predominantly blue to gray in colour and have a characteristically large dorsal fin known as the sail, which often stretches the entire length of the back. Another notable characteristic is the elongated rostrum (bill) consistent with that of other marlins and the swordfish, which together constitute what are known as billfish in sport fishing circles. Sailfish live in colder pelagic waters of all Earth's oceans, and hold the record for the highest speed of any marine animal.
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is a tuna regional fishery management organisation, responsible for the management and conservation of tuna and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas. The organization was established in 1966, at a conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and operates in English, French and Spanish. The organisation has been strongly criticised by scientists for its repeated failure to conserve the sustainability of the tuna fishery by consistently supporting over-fishing – an internal review branded ICCAT's policies on the eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery a "travesty of fisheries management", and an "international disgrace". Conservationists often refer to ICCAT as "The International Conspiracy to Catch All Tuna".
The billfish are a group of saltwater predatory fish characterised by prominent pointed bills (rostra), and by their large size; some are longer than 4 m (13 ft). Extant billfish include sailfish and marlin, which make up the family Istiophoridae; and swordfish, sole member of the family Xiphiidae. They are often apex predators which feed on a wide variety of smaller fish, crustaceans and cephalopods. These two families are sometimes classified as belonging to the order Istiophoriformes, a group which originated around 71 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous, with the two families diverging around 15 million years ago in the Late Miocene. However, they are also classified as being closely related to the mackerels and tuna within the suborder Scombroidei of the order Perciformes. However, the 5th edition of the Fishes of the World does recognise the Istiophoriformes as a valid order, albeit including the Sphyraenidae, the barracudas.
Rajiformes is one of the four orders in the clade Batomorphi, often referred to as the superorder Batoidea, flattened cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. Rajiforms are distinguished by the presence of greatly enlarged pectoral fins, which reach as far forward as the sides of the head, with a generally flattened body. The undulatory pectoral fin motion diagnostic to this taxon is known as rajiform locomotion. The eyes and spiracles are located on the upper surface of the head and the gill slits are on the underside of the body. Most species give birth to live young, although some lay eggs enclosed in a horny capsule.
The Indo-Pacific sailfish is a sailfish native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans and is naturalized in the Atlantic where it has entered the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal as a Lessepsian migrant. It is dark blue on top, brown-blue laterally, silvery white underbelly; upper jaw elongated in the form of a spear; first dorsal fin greatly enlarged in the form of a sail, with many black cones, its front squared off, highest at its midpoint; pelvic fins very narrow, reaching almost to the anus; body covered with embedded scales, blunt at end; lateral line curved above pectoral 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.
The black marlin is a species of marlin found in tropical and subtropical areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans approximately between 40 degrees North and 45 degrees South, while in some instances venturing into more temperate waters. Reaching lengths of over 4.5 m (15 ft), It is one of the largest marlins and also one of the largest bony fish. Marlin are among the fastest fish, but speeds may be exaggerated in popular media, such as reports of 132 km/h (82 mph). A 2016 study estimated maximum swimming speeds from muscle contraction times, which in turn limit the tail-beat frequency; the study suggested a theoretical upper limit for the black marlin's burst speed of 36 kilometres per hour (22 mph). Black marlin are fished commercially and are also a highly prized game fish. Black marlins were known to drag ancient Maldivian fishing boats for very long distances until the marlins tired; it would take many hours for the fishermen to row or sail back home. Due to the common misidentification of large billfish such as the black marlin, as well as its highly migratory habits and the lack of research into the species, much about populations are unknown. The species was first known as Tetrapturus indicus and later was reclassified as Makaira indica before taking on its current scientific name. One of the earliest scientific records of black marlin is its description by French zoologist Georges Cuvier in 1832.
Makaira is a genus of marlin in the family Istiophoridae. It includes the Atlantic blue and Indo-Pacific blue marlins. In the past, the black marlin was also included in this genus, but today it is placed in its own genus, Istiompax.
The roundscale spearfish is an Istiophoridae species of marlin living in the epipelagic zone of the Atlantic Ocean. It has long been misidentified as white marlin but can be differentiated thanks to their scale shapes that gives its name. Not much is known about this species. It could reach a length of 160 cm and 21,5 kg and has no conservation status yet due to a lack of data.
Tetrapturus is a genus of marlins commonly called spearfish, found in tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world. Some are popular sport fish in big-game fishing.
Blochius is an extinct genus of billfish from the Eocene. It is only known from the Monte Bolca deposits in Italy, and was likely restricted to shallow, tropical waters of the Tethys Ocean.
The Indo-Pacific blue marlin is a species of marlin belonging to the family Istiophoridae.
Linophryne, the bearded seadevils, is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Linophrynidae, the leftvents. These deep sea anglerfishes are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The Ebelsberg Formation is a geologic formation in Austria. The section exposed near the town of Pucking are considered to be a Konservat-Lagerstätte. It preserves fossils dated to the Aquitanian age of the Miocene epoch.
This list of fossil fishes described in 2017 is a list of new taxa of jawless vertebrates, placoderms, acanthodians, fossil cartilaginous fishes, bony fishes and other fishes of every kind that are scheduled to be described during the year 2017, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to paleontology of fishes that are scheduled to occur in the year 2017. The list only includes taxa at the level of genus or species.
This list of fossil fishes described in 2019 is a list of new taxa of jawless vertebrates, placoderms, acanthodians, fossil cartilaginous fishes, bony fishes, and other fishes of every kind that were described during the year 2019, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to paleoichthyology that occurred in 2019.
Of the twelve species of billfish, there are six species of Billfish in the Indian Ocean.
This list of fossil fish research presented in 2021 is a list of new taxa of jawless vertebrates, placoderms, acanthodians, fossil cartilaginous fishes, bony fishes, and other fishes that were described during the year, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to paleoichthyology that occurred in 2021.
This list of fossil fish research presented in 2023 is a list of new fossil taxa of jawless vertebrates, placoderms, cartilaginous fishes, bony fishes, and other fishes that were described during the year, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to paleoichthyology that occurred in 2023.
| Swordfish (1 species) |  | ||||||||||
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| Marlin |
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| International | |
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| National | |
