The keel-jawed needlefish is widespread in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans.
Taxonomy
There are four recognised subspecies of ''Tylosurus acus'':
*''T. a. acus'' ( Lacepède, 1803) (Agujon needlefish) - in the western Atlantic from Massachusetts to Brazil and in the eastern Atlantic off Morocco and in the western Mediterranean
*''T. a. imperialis'' ( Rafinesque, 1810) in the Mediterranean Sea and Cape Verde Islands
*''T. a. rafale'' Collette and Parin 1970 (Atlantic agujon needlefish) Gulf of Guinea
*''T. a melanotus'' (
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 ...
'' was once considered a subspecies of ''T. acus'' but is now considered a distinct species. Although ''acus'' was suppressed by ICZN Opinion 900, continued usage of the name led to ''Tylosurus acus'' being reinstated as a valid name.OPINION 2169 (Case 3297) Sphyraena acus Lacépède, 1803 (currently Tylosurus acus; Teleostei, BELONIDAE): reinstated as a valid name. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 2007 64:75-76. Some authorities raise the four subspecies to species level.
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4001160
acus
The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) is an independent agency of the United States government that was established in 1964 by the Administrative Conference Act. The conference's purpose is to "promote improvements in the effi ...