Tylosurus acus
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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 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 (Bleeker, 1850) (Keel-jawed needlefish) in the Indo-West Pacific and oceanic islands in the eastern tropical Pacific Revillagigedo Islands, Clipperton Island, and Cocos Island.
Tylosurus pacificus 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. Some authorities raise the four subspecies to species level.