A Possible Hatchet Marlin (Tetrapturus Sp.) from the Gulf of Mexico Paul J
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Northeast Gulf Science Volume 4 Article 7 Number 1 Number 1 9-1980 A Possible Hatchet Marlin (Tetrapturus sp.) from the Gulf of Mexico Paul J. Pristas National Marine Fisheries Service DOI: 10.18785/negs.0401.07 Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/goms Recommended Citation Pristas, P. J. 1980. A Possible Hatchet Marlin (Tetrapturus sp.) from the Gulf of Mexico. Northeast Gulf Science 4 (1). Retrieved from https://aquila.usm.edu/goms/vol4/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Gulf of Mexico Science by an authorized editor of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Pristas: A Possible Hatchet Marlin (Tetrapturus sp.) from the Gulf of Mexi Short papers and notes 51 A POSSIBLE HATCHET MARLIN Tetrapturus that has some characteristics (Tetrapturus sp.) FROM THE GULF of a hatchet marlin. It was recognized OF MEXIC01 while collecting catch/effort and bio logical data from the recreational fishery At least eight species of billfishes (lsti for billfishes in the northern Gulf of ophoridae and Xiphiidae) have been re Mexico. ported from the Atlantic Ocean including the Mediterranean Sea. The following DESCRIPTION species have been identified in both sport and commercial landings: swordfish, The fish was caught on August 21, 1978, Xiphias g/adius Linnaeus; sailfish, lsti approximately 111 km east northeast of ophorous playtypterus (Shaw and Port Mansfield, Texas, and was initially Nodder2); blue marlin, Makaira nigricans identified as T. albidus. It had two of the Lacepede; white marlin, Tetrapturus al four prominent characteristics of the bidus Poey; and longbill spearfish, T. hatchet marlin as described by de Sylva pf/uegeri Robins and de Sylva. Three other (1974), McClane (1974), and Robins (1973, species have been reported in commercial 1974), namely, (1) truncated first dorsal landings: the Mediterranean spearfish, T. and anal fin lobes, and (2) purple or black be/one Rafinesque; the roundscale spear blotches apparent only in the lower por fish, T. georgei Lowe; and the black marlin, tion of the first dorsav fin. Dissimilar M. indica (Cuvier). characteristics were the pointed, pungent, Both commercial and recreational fish instead of rounded, scales (Robins, 1973), ermen have reported another billfish, and pectoral fins with rounded, rather which might be a new species or a variant than pointed, tips (McClane, 1974). of an already described species, in the Measurements and photographs were Atlantic Ocean. De Sylva (1974) and taken of the fish. Morphometric measure Robins (1973, 1974) described a fish that ments as described by Rivas (1956) are Venezuelan and Cuban commercial fish presented in Table 1. The fish weighed ermen have long referred to as "hatchet 20.8 kg and was a female. Figure 1 shows marlin" or "axe marlin." In his Field Guide the first dorsal and anal fins in an extended to Saltwater Fishes of North America, position. Comparisons with four other McClane (1974) listed the hatchet marlin Atlantic species of Tetrapturus are shown as a recently recognized species, which in Table 2. The position of the anus relative has been reported from North Carolina to to the anal fin was similar toT. a/bidus. The Venezuela. Nakamura (1978), in his re undamaged truncated spinous dorsal and view of the lstiophoridae fishes, stated, anal fin lobes had the characteristic shape "The status of the so-called hatchet of those described earlier for the hatchet marlin, Tetrapturus sp., is not yet re marlin. In contrast, the heights of both fin solved." All four authors referenced the lobes were less than those of the hatchet fish as Tetrapturus sp. marlin as described by Robins (1973, This report describes a specimen of 1974). The appearance of purple or black blotches only in the lower portion of the 1 Contribution No. 80-22 PC. Southeast Fisheries Service, NOAA, Panama City Laboratory, Panama first dorsal fin is an intermediate feature City, FL 32401. between T. a/bidus and the other Atlantic 2 In this report, one species of sailfish in accordance species of Tetrapturus. The pointed, pun with Morrow and Harbo (1969), and one species of blue marlin in accordance with Robins and de Sylva gent scales were characteristic of neither (1960) are recognized. those for T. georgei nor those for the Published by The Aquila Digital Community, 1980 1 Gulf of Mexico Science, Vol. 4 [1980], No. 1, Art. 7 52 Northeast Gulf Science Vol. 4, No. 1 September 1980 hatchet marlin (Robins 1973, 1974). The species in reported catches, (5) insuf orbit diameter was less than that for T. ficient number of specimens for valid albidus but comparable to the three other species confirmation, (6) large size of the known species. The number of first dorsal fish making direct comparisons difficult, fin elements (43) was similar to three of the or {7) a combination of these reasons. For four species of Tetrapturus. Other meristic example, Royce (1957), Briggs (1960), counts from the first dorsal, anal, and pec Robins and de Sylva (1960), Morrow toral fins were: 11 dorsal rays; 16 anal ele (1964), and Rivas (1974) believe that M. ments; 8 anal rays; and 19-20 pectoral nigricans is the same blue marlin that in rays. habits the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, whereas other investigators DISCUSSION (Nakamura, lwai, and Matsubara, 1968; and Nakamura, 1974) consider M. mazara Historically, the taxonomy of the bill and M. nigricans as two distinct species of fishes has been contradictory or uncer blue marlin inhabiting the Indo-Pacific tain. This confusion generally resulted and Atlantic oceans, respectively. Like from: (1) insufficient descriptions of wise, Morrow and Harbo (1969) consider specimens, (2) varying criteria among I. platypterus as one worldwide species of taxonomists as to what features distin sailfish, whereas Nakamura et a/. (1968) guish one species from another, (3) char support the existence of two species of acteristics changing with the develop sailfishes:/. platypterus (Indo-Pacific) and ment of the fish, (4) mixing or grouping of I. albicans (Atlantic). Figure 1. Marlin, Tetrapturus sp., from Port Mansfield, Texas. Adult 20.8 kg female, 155.0 em lower jaw-fork length. https://aquila.usm.edu/goms/vol4/iss1/7 2 DOI: 10.18785/negs.0401.07 Pristas: A Possible Hatchet Marlin (Tetrapturus sp.) from the Gulf of Mexi Short papers and notes 53 Table 1. - Morphometric data for a specimen of Tetrapturus sp. Measurements expressed in millimeters and in percentage of body length as defined by Rivas (1956). Numbers in parentheses refer to the numbered deli- nitions of Rivas with abbreviations according to Robins and de Sylva (1960). Measurement MM % Measurement MM % Body length (1) 1,550 Preopercular length (27) 322 21 Body girth (2) 458 30 Maxillary length (28) 254 16 First predorsal length (3) 344 22 Orbit diameter (29) 45 2.9 Second predorsal length (4) 1,262 81 Iris diameter (30) 19 1.2 Prepectoral length (5) 401 26 lnterobital wid ttl (31) 88 5.7 Prepelvic length (6) 418 27 Tip mandible to tip bill (32) 281 18 First preanal length (7) 939 61 Depth of bill (33) 16 1.0 Second preanal length (8) 1,255 81 Width of bill (34) 25 1.6 Origin 0 to fin edge (35) 240 16 Origin 0 1 to P1 (9) 189 12 1 Length 0 base (36) 51 3.3 Origin 0 1 to P2 (10) 285 15 2 Length A base (37) 242 16 Origin 0 2 to origin A2 (11) 133 8.6 1 Length A base (38) 53 3.4 O~igin P2 to vent (12) 440 28 2 Height 0, (39) 287 18 Origin P2 to nape (13) 256 16 Greatest body depth (14) 229 15 Length middle 0 1 spine (40) 108 7.0 Height 0 (41) 68 4.4 Depth at origin 0 1 (15) 245 16 2 Height A (42) 200 13 Depth at origin A1 (16) 198 13 1 Least depth cp (17) 53 3.4 Height A2 (43) 60 3.9 Width at Base P1 (18) 119 7.7 Length P1 (44) 395 26 Width at origin A1 (19) 119 7.7 Length P2 (45) 326 21 Width at origin A2 (20) 85 5.5 Length 0 2 (46) 133 8.6 Width cp at keel (21) 60 3.9 Length A2 (47) 127 8.2 Length upper keel (22) 50 3.2 Length upper cau. lobe (48) Length lower keel (23) 46 3.0 Length lower cau. lobe (49) Head length (24) 395 26 Caudal spread (50) Snout length (25) 195 13 Anus to A1 65 4.2 Bill length (26) 474 31 Whether the hatchet marlin is, or will be, dorsal fin and the rounded scales sug a valid species is still speculative. De Sylva gests " ...that the hatchet marlin and (1974), in his review of billfishes caught by roundscale spearfish are closely related, if anglers, mentioned two unidentified bill not identical. .. " Commercial fishermen fish specimens. The first, a juvenile about from Venezuela and Cuba have long been 40 mm TL, had dorsal fin markings remi familiar with a marlin that has a truncated niscent of a white marlin. However, while dorsal lobe and, because of the squared discussing this fish, de Sylva made refer off or axe shaped fin, the fishermen refer ence to both T. be/one and T. georgei, red to this fish as hatchet marlin or axe neither one having extensive dorsal fin marlin. Sport fishermen in Cuba have markings, and suggested this specimen reported catching hatchet marlin, al might be a rare, unidentified species. De though they did not give a description of Sylva described the second billfish, fin markings or scaiEfS (John Rybovich, caught at South Pass, Louisiana, as pers.