shortbill spearfish

Open encyclopedia reference

The shortbill spearfish (Tetrapturus angustirostris), sometimes called the short-nosed spearfish, is a species of marlin native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, with occasional records from the Atlantic Ocean. This species occurs in open waters not far from the surface. This species can reach a length of 230 cm (91 in), though most do not exceed 190 cm (75 in). The maximum recorded weight for this species is 52 kg (115 lb). It is of minor importance to commercial fisheries and is also a game fish. Short bill spearfish are characterized by a slim frame with a blue body that is silver underneath. Shortbill also possess a very short bill extending from their upper jaw.

Wikipedia contributors, Shortbill spearfish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:41:37.016451+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Tetrapturus angustirostris Tanaka, 1915

Name authority

Tanaka, 1915

Common name

shortbill spearfish

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Teleostei

Order

Carangiformes

Family

Istiophoridae

Genus

Tetrapturus

Extinction status

Not supplied by this source

Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. orderCarangiformes
11. familyIstiophoridae Rafinesque, 1815
12. genusTetrapturus Rafinesque, 1810
13. speciesTetrapturus angustirostris Tanaka, 1915

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Tetrapturus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 11 records assigned to Istiophoridae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. Tanaka, S. (1915). Figures and descriptions of the fishes of Japan including Riukiu Islands, Bonin Islands, Formosa, Kurile Islands, Korea and southern Sakhalin. Maruzen, Tokyo., v. 19: 319–342, Pls. 91–95. [In Japanese and English.]. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:55RXN. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.