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Black marlin
Istiompax indica
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Black marlin
- Scientific
- Istiompax indica
- Dhivehi
- ކަޅުމަސް ހިބަރުKalhu mas hibaru
- Maximum size
- Up to about 4.7 m (fork length); commonly 3.8 m; max. published weight 750 kg (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives common to 3.8 m; max. 4.6 m
- Depth and habitat
- Open ocean, near the surface and in mid-water, recorded from 0 to 915 m (usually 0 to 200 m)
- IUCN status
- DD · Data DeficientData Deficient (DD), assessed 2021
Description
A massive marlin, dark blue above and silvery white below, with a short, stout bill, a low first dorsal fin and rigid pectoral fins that cannot be folded flat against the body. It hunts small tunas, squid and other fish near the surface, often close to islands and drop-offs, and can exceed 4.5 m and 700 kg.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name kalhu mas hibaru (MRS 1997, as Makaira indica).
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Istiompax-indica.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ކަޅުމަސް_ހިބަރު
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Istiompax_indica.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Kalhu mas hibaru' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ކަޅުމަސް ހިބަރު' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form.