The shortbill spearfish (''Tetrapturus angustirostris''), sometimes called the short-nosed spearfish, is a species of

marlin Marlins are fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes between 9 and 11 species, depending on the taxonomic authority. Name The family's common name is thought to derive from their resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike. Taxonomy T ...

native to the Indian and

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

Oceans, with occasional records from the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. This species occurs in open waters not far from the surface. This species can reach a length of , though most do not exceed . The maximum recorded weight for this species is . It is of minor importance to commercial fisheries and is also a

game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish species pursued by recreational fishing, recreational fishers (typically angling, anglers), and can be freshwater fish, freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be fish as food, eaten aft ...

. 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.

References

* Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, ''Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand'', (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) Fish described in 1915 Fish of the Pacific Ocean Tetrapturus Taxa named by Shigeho Tanaka {{Carangiformes-stub