Swordfish
| Swordfish | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Carangiformes |
| Suborder: | Menoidei |
| Superfamily: | Xiphioidea |
| Family: | Rafinesque, 1815 |
| Genus: | Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Species: | X. gladius
|
| Binomial name | |
| Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 1758
| |
| Global distribution of swordfish in blue | |
| Synonyms[4] | |
| |
The swordfish (Xiphias gladius), also known as the broadbill[5] in some countries, are large, highly migratory predatory fish characterized by a long, flat, pointed bill. They are the sole member of the family Xiphiidae.[6][7] They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category. Swordfish are elongated, round-bodied, and lose all teeth and scales by adulthood. These fish are found widely in tropical and temperate parts of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, and can typically be found from near the surface to a depth of 550 m (1,800 ft), and exceptionally up to depths of 2,234 m.[3] They commonly reach 3 m (10 ft) in length, and the maximum reported is 4.55 m (14 ft 11 in) in length and 650 kg (1,430 lb) in weight.[4][8]
- ^ "Monata (Eocene of Kazakhstan)". PBDB.org.
- ^ Fierstine, Harry L. (1990). "A paleontological review of three billfish families (Istiophoridae, Xiphiidae, and Xiphiorhynchidae)" (PDF). Biological Sciences: 11.
- ^ a b Collette, B.B; Di Natale, A.; Fox, W.; Graves, J.; Juan Jorda, M.; Pohlot, B.; Restrepo, V.; Schratwieser, J. (2022). "Xiphias gladius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T23148A46625751.en. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Xiphias gladius". FishBase. February 2018 version.
- ^ Grey, Zane (2000). Tales of Swordfish and Tuna. Lanham, Maryland and New York, New York, USA: The Derrydale Press. p. 107. ISBN 9781493048809.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Xiphiidae". FishBase. December 2011 version.
- ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Xiphiidae Rafinesque, 1815". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ^ Gardieff, S. "Swordfish". Florida Museum of Natural History. Archived from the original on 9 August 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2011.