The rostral micro-tooth morphology of blue marlin, Makaira nigricans

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  • Korbinian Pacher
  • Michael Breuker
  • Matthew J. Hansen
  • Ralf H.J.M. Kurvers
  • Jan Häge
  • Felicie Dhellemmes
  • Paolo Domenici
  • Steffensen, John Fleng
  • Stefan Krause
  • Thomas Hildebrandt
  • Guido Fritsch
  • Pascal Bach
  • Philippe S. Sabarros
  • Paul Zaslansky
  • Kristin Mahlow
  • Johannes Müller
  • Rogelio González Armas
  • Hector Villalobos Ortiz
  • Felipe Galván-Magaña
  • Jens Krause

Billfish rostra potentially have several functions; however, their role in feeding is unequivocal in some species. Recent work linked morphological variation in rostral micro-teeth to differences in feeding behavior in two billfish species, the striped marlin (Kajikia audax) and the sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus). Here, we present the rostral micro-tooth morphology for a third billfish species, the blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), for which the use of the rostrum in feeding behavior is still undocumented from systematic observations in the wild. We measured the micro-teeth on rostrum tips of blue marlin, striped marlin, and sailfish using a micro–computed tomography approach and compared the tooth morphology among the three species. This was done after an analysis of video-recorded hunting behavior of striped marlin and sailfish revealed that both species strike prey predominantly with the first third of the rostrum, which provided the justification to focus our analysis on the rostrum tips. In blue marlin, intact micro-teeth were longer compared to striped marlin but not to sailfish. Blue marlin had a higher fraction of broken teeth than both striped marlin and sailfish, and broken teeth were distributed more evenly on the rostrum. Micro-tooth regrowth was equally low in both marlin species but higher in sailfish. Based on the differences and similarities in the micro-tooth morphology between the billfish species, we discuss potential feeding-related rostrum use in blue marlin. We put forward the hypothesis that blue marlin might use their rostra in high-speed dashes as observed in striped marlin, rather than in the high-precision rostral strikes described for sailfish, possibly focusing on larger prey organisms.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Fish Biology
Volume104
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)713-722
Number of pages10
ISSN0022-1112
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

    Research areas

  • billfish, blue marlin, micro-tooth morphology, rostrum

ID: 379166633