Makaira (Latin via Greek: μαχαίρα "sword") is a genus of marlin in the family Istiophoridae. It includes the Atlantic blue and Indo-Pacific blue marlins.[2] In the past, the black marlin was also included in this genus, but today it is placed in its own genus, Istiompax.
| Makaira Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Atlantic blue marlin, Makaira nigricans | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Carangiformes |
| Family: | Istiophoridae |
| Genus: | Makaira Lacépède, 1802 |
| Type species | |
| Makaira nigricans Lacepède, 1802 | |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Species
- Makaira nigricans Lacepède, 1802 (Atlantic blue marlin)
- Makaira mazara (Jordan & Snyder, 1901) (Indo-Pacific blue marlin)
Although they are traditionally listed as separate species, recent research indicates that the Atlantic blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) and Indo-Pacific blue marlin (Makaira mazara) may be parapatric populations of the same species.[2][3]
The following fossil species are also known:[4][5]
- †Makaira adensa Gracia et al, 2024 - late Miocene of Italy
- †Makaira belgica (Lériche, 1926) - middle Miocene of Belgium, late Miocene of Italy
- †Makaira colonense Gracia et al, 2022 - late Miocene of Panama
- †Makaira cyclovata Gracia et al, 2024 - late Miocene of Italy
- †Makaira fierstini Gracia et al, 2022 - late Miocene of Panama
- †Makaira panamense Fierstine, 1978 - late Miocene of Panama
- †Makaira purdyi Fierstine, 1999 - Pliocene of North Carolina, USA
- †Makaira teretirostris (Rütimeyer, 1857) - early Pliocene of France
Phylogenetic analyses recover these fossil Makaira as together forming a clade more derived than the extant species, despite all of them being extinct.[5]
References
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
