Teleostei (teleosts) >
Carangiformes (Jacks) >
Istiophoridae (Billfishes)
Etymology: Tetrapturus: Greek, tetra = four + Greek, pteron, fin, wing (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Lowe.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; pelagic-oceanic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 200 m (Ref. 43). Subtropical; 42°N - 29°S, 98°W - 18°E (Ref. 43)
Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea: Positively known only from Madeira, Sicily (Italy), Strait of Gibraltar, and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean off southern Portugal. Can be expected to range widely in the eastern and perhaps central North Atlantic. Central and eastern Atlantic records from Japanese longliner's data need clarification. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (Ref. 26139).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 184 cm FL male/unsexed; (Ref. 43); 181.0 cm FL (female); max. published weight: 21.5 kg (Ref. 43); max. published weight: 21.5 kg
Further study is strongly needed to clarify the validity of this species. Probably oceanic. Length has been transferred from 'Body length' to FL (* 0.15).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Nakamura, I., 1985. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 5. Billfishes of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of marlins, sailfishes, spearfishes and swordfishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(5):65p. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 43)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 126983)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
More information
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproduction for Tetrapturus georgii' title='
Reproduction for Tetrapturus georgii' target='_blank'>
ReproductionMaturity for Tetrapturus georgii' title='
Maturity for Tetrapturus georgii' target='_blank'>
MaturitySpawningSpawning aggregationFecundityEggsEgg development
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profile for Tetrapturus georgii' title='
Aquaculture profile for Tetrapturus georgii' target='_blank'>
Aquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingNutrientsMass conversion
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 14.3 - 19.1, mean 17.1 °C (based on 37 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5630 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00447 (0.00196 - 0.01020), b=3.14 (2.93 - 3.35), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.3 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).