Indo-Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus)

Scientific name: Istiophorus platypterus Shaw, 1792

Indo-Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus)

The Indo-Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) is a marine fish of the family Istiophoridae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 47-53; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 12 - 15. Body elongate and compressed; upper jaw prolonged into a very long beak; two dorsal fins, the first very large and tail; pelvic fins narrow but very long, almost reaching anus, with 1 spine and 2 rays; body covered with small, embedded scales with 1 or 2 blunt points; back dark with about 20 bluish vertical bars; belly pale silver; membrane of first dorsal fin blue black with numerous dark spots. A slender billfish with a high, sail-like first dorsal fin.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Istiophorus platypterus
Family
Istiophoridae (Billfishes)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
348
Common length
270
Depth range
0–200 m (0–656 ft)
Environment
Marine; pelagic-oceanic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 200 m, usually 30 - ? m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Indo-Pacific: tropical and temperate waters approximately 45?- 50?N and 40?-35?S in the western Pacific, 35?N and 35?S in the eastern Pacific; 45?S in western Indian Ocean and 35?S in eastern Indian Ocean. Entered Mediterranean Sea from Red sea via Suez Canal. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea. Some authors recognize a single worldwide species, Istiophorus platypterus (Shaw & Nodder 1792) but we follow Nakamura 1990 retaining the usage of Istiophorus platypterus for the Indo-Pacific sailfish and Istiophorus albicans for the Atlantic sailfish in recognition of the differences between them.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (rm=0.11; K=0.4-0.8)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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