''Tylosurus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

needlefish Needlefish ( family Belonidae) or long toms are piscivorous fishes primarily associated with very shallow marine habitats or the surface of the open sea. Some genera include species found in marine, brackish, and freshwater environments (e.g ...

, one of ten in the family Belonidae. They are found worldwide in tropical and warmer temperate seas and two species have been recorded as Lessepsian migrants in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Species

The seven currently recognized

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

in this genus are: * ''

Tylosurus acus ''Tylosurus acus'' (keel-jawed needlefish) is a game fish of the family Belonidae. Distribution The keel-jawed needlefish is widespread in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans. Taxonomy There are four recognised subspecies of ''Tylosurus acu ...

'' (Lacepède, 1803) ** ''T. a. acus'' ( Lacépède, 1803) (Agujon needlefish) ** ''T. a. imperialis'' (

Rafinesque Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...

, 1810) ** ''T. a. melanotus'' ( Bleeker, 1850) (keel-jawed needlefish) ** ''T. a. rafale''

Collette Collette is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname * (born 1995), French dancer and artist *Bruce Baden Collette (born 1934), American ichthyologist * Jeff Collette, professional wrestler who was managed by ...

& Parin, 1970 (Atlantic agujon needlefish) * ''

Tylosurus choram ''Tylosurus choram'', the Red Sea houndfish, is a species of needlefish from the family Belonidae. A marine fish bluish in color with a long slender body, and a pointed long toothed beak, found in most temperate, warm seas, and sometimes rivers ...

'' ( Rüppell, 1837) (Red Sea houndfish) * ''

Tylosurus crocodilus The houndfish (''Tylosurus crocodilus'') is a game fish of the family Belonidae. It is the largest member of its family, growing up to in length and in weight. It is also often called the crocodile needlefish. Description While the houndfis ...

'' ( Péron & Lesueur, 1821) (

Houndfish The houndfish (''Tylosurus crocodilus'') is a game fish of the family Belonidae. It is the largest member of its family, growing up to in length and in weight. It is also often called the crocodile needlefish. Description While the houndfish h ...

) * ''

Tylosurus fodiator ''Tylosurus fodiator'', the Mexican needlefish, is a species of needlefish from the family Belonidae which is found only in the eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California south to Ecuador including the Galapagos, Cocos and Malpelo Islands. I ...

'' D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1882 (Mexican needlefish) * ''

Tylosurus gavialoides ''Tylosurus'' is a genus of needlefish, one of ten in the family Belonidae. They are found worldwide in tropical and warmer temperate seas and two species have been recorded as Lessepsian migrants in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Species The ...

'' ( Castelnau, 1873) (Stout long tom) * ''

Tylosurus pacificus ''Tylosurus'' is a genus of needlefish, one of ten in the family Belonidae. They are found worldwide in tropical and warmer temperate seas and two species have been recorded as Lessepsian migrants in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Species The ...

'' ( Steindachner, 1876) (Pacific agujon needlefish) * ''

Tylosurus punctulatus ''Tylosurus'' is a genus of needlefish, one of ten in the family Belonidae. They are found worldwide in tropical and warmer temperate seas and two species have been recorded as Lessepsian migrants in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Species The ...

'' ( Günther, 1872) (Spotted long tom)

Etymology

The generic name ''Tylosurus'' is a compound created from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

words ''tylos'' meaning a "

callus A callus is an area of thickened and sometimes hardened skin that forms as a response to repeated friction, pressure, or other irritation. Since repeated contact is required, calluses are most often found on the feet and hands, but they may o ...

" and ''oura'' meaning "tail", this refers to the keel like structures on the caudal peduncle of these fish.

References

Belonidae Marine fish genera Taxa named by Anastasio Cocco {{Beloniformes-stub