Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Billfish Bills - What Are They Good For?

In the prior article, I discussed long-beaked "dolphins" (Eurhinodelphidae) and noted that I couldn't find hypotheses on the function of their uneven jaws in the literature... aside from a weird proposal involving SkimmersThe Theatrical Tanystropheus mentioned a couple ("digging for small, sand-dwelling organisms or as a bat with which to stun fish") which are plausible, but I don't know where they are from or what lines of reasoning are behind them. There are extant species with a superficially similar condition - billfishes - and it could be relevant to review what they do with their bills.

Atlantic White Marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) from Wikipedia Commons.
Swordfish (Xiphiidae) and Marlins/Sailfishes/Spearfishes (Istiophoridae) are living sister taxa1 in the clade Xiphioidea; while traditionally included in Scombroidei, billfishes are presently regarded as phylogenetically distinct (Orrell et al. 2006) and possibly close relatives of jacks and... flatfishes (Little et al. 2010). Fish phylogenetics is scary business, and I suspect billfish relations will undergo further revisions as the monstrosity known as "Perciformes" is reasoned into pieces. Anyways, while xiphiids2 and istiophorids look superficially similar, they actually have rather distinctive morphology. Swordfish have a bill which is flat in cross-section, toothless, blunt-tipped, and with central chambers (compared to rounded, denticulated, pointed, and chamber-less for istiophorids), a weak mandible much shorter than the rostrum, no scales, and no pelvic fins (Collette et al. 2006; Fierstine 2006; Fierstine and Voight 1996 citing Nakamura 1983). Strangely, most extinct billfishes have jaws of equal length, and if the proposed (Istiophoridae + Hemingwayidae) and (Xiphias + Xiphiorhynchus) clades (Fierstine 2006) are correct (see note 1), this would mean the unequal jaws of extant billfishes evolved twice. 

1 A detailed cladistic analysis with the fossil members of the group has yet to be undertaken (Fierstine 2006).
2 As for what the deal with them and ziphiids is, I have no idea.


Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) from Wikipedia Commons.
One infamous use of the billfish bill is impaling unexpected objects. One Blue Marlin was found with rostrum fragments from two other, different billfish species (Fierstine 1997). Other unfortunates include large fish, whales, bales of rubber, boats, ships, deep-diving vessels, people, and turtles (Frazier et al. 1994 - citing various). The billfish-on-billfish impaling has been interpreted as defense against predators (Fierstine 1997) and in the case of the turtles, it was hypothesized that the billfish accidentally impaled them when aiming for fish aggregated nearby (Frazier et al. 1994). Istiophorids can survive with a foreshortened rostrum (Fierstine 2006) so apparently these accidents are survivable. But this raises another question - do they need an elongated rostrum at all?

One study of 227 Blue Marlins (Makaira nigricans) stomach contents found that 38% of prey items showed evidence of damage from the bill, 11% of which were speared and 81% of which were slashed, and the rest of which were in multiple pieces (Shimose et al. 2007). Bizarrely, another study with 226 Blue Marlins found no evidence of prey being struck or speared (Vaske et al. 2011). Vaske et al. (2011) offered no explanation for this anomaly, and I can't see an obvious one either. Both populations (from Japan and Brazil, respectively) even primarily preyed on Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), which were normally killed with the bill in the former population. I'm stumped.

Fierstine (2006) hypothesized that unequal jaw length in billfishes may have evolved to avoid suffocation when impaling large objects (predator or prey) and to avoid damage to the mandible. I don't buy the mandibular reasoning since extant billfishes get by just fine with them naturally foreshortened. The available evidence suggests impaling is a rather rare event and thus unlikely to be the main factor in the evolution of the characteristic billfish bill. An alternate hypothesis could be that the mandible was shortened so the rostrum could be "weaponized" (sword-like flattening in xiphiids and denticles in istiophorids3) to slash at prey. However, the population which apparently doesn't use bills to feed and healthy individuals with damaged rostra are problematic for both of these hypotheses. Perhaps future studies will show that the bill is generally important for feeding in the group and that the counterexamples are just freaks, but either way, it seems premature to make any conclusions about why billfish have their striking morphology.


3 The ichthyosaur Eurhinosaurus has teeth on the upper jaw which could be a similar instance of "weaponization". 

I really have no idea how eurhinodelphids fit into this framework since Fierstine's hypothetical suffocation would not be an issue (if they could impale at all) and the rostrum does not seem particularly dangerous (no teeth, denticles, or flattening). I wonder if this morphology evolved for different reasons, or if it evolved for reasons that have yet to be hypothesized.



References:

Collette, B. B., McDowell, J. R., and Graves, J. E. (2006). Phylogeny of Recent Billfishes. Bulletin of Marine Science 79(3), 455-468. Available.

Fierstine, H. L. (2006). Fossil history of Billfishes (Xiphioidea). Bulletin of Marine Science 79(3), 433-453. Available.

Fierstine, H. L. (1997). An Atlantic Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans), impaled by two species of billfishes (Teleostei: Istiophoridae). Bulletin of Marine Science 61(2), 495-499. Available.

Fierstine, H. L., and Voight, N. L. (1996). Use of Rostral Characters for Identifying Adult Billfishes (Teleostei: Perciformes: Istiophoridae and Xiphiidae). Copeia 1996(1), 148-161. Available.

Frazier, J. G., Fierstine, H. L., Beavers, S. C., Achaval, F., Suganuma, H., Pitman, R. L., Yamaguchi, Y., and Prigioni, C. M. (1994). Impalement of marine turtles (Reptilia, Chelonia: Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae) by billfishes (Osteichthyes, Perciformes: Istiophoridae and Xiphiidae). Fisheries Science 39(1), 85-96. Available.

Little, A. G., Lougheed, S. C., and Moyes, C. D. (2010). Evolutionary affinity of billfishes (Xiphiidae and Istiophoridae) and flatfishes (Plueronectiformes): Independent and trans-subordinal origins of endothermy in teleost fishes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56(3), 897-904. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.04.022

Nakamura, I. (1983). Systematics of billfishes (Xip­hiidae and Istiophoridae). Publications of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory 28, 255-396.

Orrell, T. M., Collette B. B., and Johnson, G. J. (2006). Molecular data supports separate scombroid and xiphioid clades. Bulletin of Marine Science 79(3), 505-519. Available.

Shimose, T., Yokawa, K., Saito, H., and Tachihara, K. (2007). Evidence for use of the bill by blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, during feeding. Ichthyological Research 54(4), 420-422. DOI: 10.1007/s10228-007-0419-x

Vaske, T., Travassos, P. E., Pinheiro, P. B., Hazin, F. H. V., Tolotti, M. T., and Barbosa, T. M. (2011). Diet of the Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans, Lacepède 1802) (Perciformes: Istiophoridae) of the southwestern equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Brazilian Journal of Aquatic Science and Technology 15(1), 65-70. Available.

36 comments:

Masaj erotic Pitesti said...

The billfish-on-billfish impaling has been interpreted as defense against predators

Live Links Of High PR Commenting Site said...

Truly nice post I like the information that you shown is hard to faith and many superbly I liked the way you afford things here.

Just Click : Live Links Of High PR Commenting Site

Model Dress Brokat 2015 said...

I like the valuable information you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your weblog and check again here regularly. I’m quite certain I will learn plenty of new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!

Unknown said...

This is good information that I was looking
thank you so much for sharing useful information like this
Greetings and always succeeded

Obat Abses Anus Herbal Gejala Serta Penyebab Psoriasis Cara Menyembuhkan Abses Kulit Cara Menyembuhkan Floaters Pada Mata Kandungan Berbahaya Pada Rokok

Unknown said...

The information you provide helps me, a lot of new things that I found after reading the article you wrote.
Thank you so much for sharing this useful information.

Suplemen Penambah Nafsu Makan Obat Gastroenteritis Obat Ejakulasi Dini Herbal Khasiat Daun Sirsak untuk Mengobati Kanker Obat Tinea Cruris Tradisional Herbal

Anonymous said...

interesting discoveries of man (y)
Cambodia hotels | Hotels and resort in Cambodia |
Foods in Cambodia | Cat Ba hotels | Hotels and resort in Cat Ba | Activities in Cat Ba | Hostel in Vientiane | Things to do in Vientiane | Highlight in Vientiane | Phu Quoc trekking tours | Phu Quoc camping trips

pheasant feathers bulk said...

Check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use.pheasant feathers bulk

Anonymous said...

Vietnam itself is beautiful place for leisure tour. Phu Quoc is the best attraction and relaxing island of Vietnam Tour. I like some more places like Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Long Bay, Mekong Delta and many more.
halong bay | halong charming cruise
halong cruise |ha long cruises
halong cruise vietnam |halong elegance cruise
vietnam travel cheap |vietnamese style
danang travel | malaysia travel

customized shirts said...

Its like you read my mind! You appear to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit, but other than that, this is great blog. A great read. I will certainly be back.customized shirts

custom t shirts montreal said...

These are the regular clients who buy from you on regular basis and most of these are the ones who showed confidence in you at the start up.custom t shirts montreal

home refinancing canada said...

Thank you so much for the post you do. I like your post and all you share with us is up to date and quite informative, i would like to bookmark the page so i can come here again to read you, as you have done a wonderful job.home refinancing canada

perfect swing said...

As part of an assignment for research I have to find an article with relevant information on this topic and give the teacher our opinion and the article. Your article helped me a lot.perfect swing

ant control said...

Hello everybody, I be familiar with YouTube video carries less bytes of memory due to that its quality is poor, however this YouTube video has impressive picture features.ant control

Anonymous said...

Hello everyone. I was heartbroken because i had very small penis, not nice to satisfy a woman, i had so many relationship called off because of my situation, i have used so many product which i found online but none could offer me the help i searched for. i saw some few comments about this specialist called Dr James and decided to email him on enlargementherbs@yahoo.com so I decided to give his herbal product a try. i emailed him and he got back to me, he gave me some comforting words with his herbal pills for Penis t, Enlargement Within 1 week of it, i began to feel the enlargement of my penis, ” and now it just 2 weeks of using his products my penis is about 9 inches longer and am so happy..feel free to contact DR James on(enlargementherbs@yahoo.com)or whatsapp him on this number +2349055637784

tayyab ali said...

Give me sales more than 60 bottles of God.long island tree service

Legal Herbal Online said...

wow, great, I was wondering how to cure acne naturally. and found your site by google, learned a lot, now i’m a bit clear. I’ve bookmark your site and also add rss. keep us updated.agence de location de voiture agadir

Nikita Arora said...

Simply wish to say your article is as outstanding. The clearness on your submit is just excellent and i can suppose you are an expert on this subject.
Escorts Services in Aerocity
Mobile Network Booster Delhi
AC Rent in Gurgaon
Urban Engineer Dwarka
Bestrepairs Dwarka
Classifieds Websites List in India

Chiến SEOCAM said...

Teie esitatud teave on väga hea. Täname jagamise eest. Õnn tuleb teile.

lưới chống chuột

cửa lưới dạng xếp

cửa lưới tự cuốn

cửa lưới chống muỗi hà nội

Chiến SEOCAM said...

La informació és massa bona. Gràcies per compartir. Desitjo que sempre tingui èxit!

Bồn ngâm massage chân

Bồn ngâm chân

Có nên dùng bồn ngâm chân

Cách sử dụng bồn ngâm chân

Chiến SEOCAM said...

Isang kawili-wiling impormasyon. Salamat sa pagbabahagi. Hi there!





cần mua chó Poodle

cách nuôi chó Poodle

đặc điểm chó Poodle

Nguồn gốc chó Poodle

johnpeter said...

hello everyone here i want to tell the whole world about DR AKIOYA herbal mixture product ...Dr AKIOYA penis enlargement herbal product in Africa.This is the only Male Penis Enlargement product has been used by men around the world like USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,BELGIUM,SWEDEN,GERMANY,UK,SINGAPORE,MALAYSIA AND SO MANY MORE supplement that has been PROVEN to-enlarge your penis – safely, quickly, and importantly – PERMANENTLY.Full DR AKIOYA Penis Enlargement product when used will Increase in penis length by 1-5 inches Increase in penis width by 20%helps in preventing Premature Ejaculation.Achieved longer, rock hard erections All gains in penis length and width are 100% permanent Full AKIOYA Penis Enlargement product is also:100% Herbal, 100% Safest with no side effect and its of two types I have the one for enlargement and for reduction and your advised to use it by message 100% Satisfaction and Money Back Guarantee. DR.AKIOYA, About my products i have herbal product and oil 100% Permanent Guaranteed resulting it on your body where you feel you want to reduce or enlarge which will help you to be strong and you get the desirable size you want-within 3-5 days and when you get your desirable size you are advised to stop using it and the results you gain will remain permanent We also do deliveries all over AFRICA, and worldwide so i would like to know first when do you need the product.for more information call or whatsapp Dr.AKIOYA +2348105257464 or call +2348105257464 email DrAkioya17spellhome@gmail.com or you can visit is website; http://drakioyaherbalcenter.home.blog
https://drakioyaherbalhome.blogspot.com/

Note; DR AKIOYA also have herbal medicines to problems like
PENIS ENLARGEMENT
ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION
DIABETES type 1 and type 2
HERPES GENITAL WART
LOW SPERM COUNT
WEAK ERECTION
BREAST ENLARGEMENT
PROSTRATE CANCER
HIV/AIDS
SPELL OF ALL KINDS LIKE EX BACK,CANCEL DIVORCE,BREAK UP SPELL ,PREGNANCY SPELL,PROMOTION SPELL,JOB SPELL
ALS
HPV 123
PILE
ASTHMA
HEART FAILURE
PREMATURE EJACULATION
HEPATITIS A,B,C AND MANY MORE
THANKS

rosemary said...

I Am Ritu Sharma. I Run my Own Mumbai Call Girls Service. I Am Very Hot And Sexy. I Have Five Years’ Experience. That’s why I Understand the Each Personal Needs of My Every Client. My Service Charge Is Low And Service Is Super. You Can Avail My VIP Escorts Service At Your Home Or In Hotel. I Am Comfortable To Provide Escorts Service In Local And Outside Also.
Visit http://www.escortservicemumbai.net/mumbai-call-girls/
Call +91- 9OO4OO9481

Visit The Links Below And Have A Look At My Various Escort Services-
Mumbai Escorts
Mumbai Escorts In Lokhandwala
Escort Service In Gore Gaon
Juhu Escorts
Andheri Escorts
Bandra Escorts
Mumbai Call Girls


Anonymous said...


I was heartbroken because i had a small penis, not nice to satisfy a woman, i had so many relationship called off because of my situation, i have used so many product which i found online but none could offer me the help i searched for. I saw some few comments about this specialist called Dr Amiso and decided to email him on (herbalisthome01@yahoo.com), so I decided to give his herbal product a try. And I emailed him and he got back to me, he gave me some comforting words with his herbal pills for Penis Enlargement Within 1 week of it, i began to feel the enlargement of my penis, ” and now it just 2 weeks of using his products my penis is about 9 inches longer and am so happy..feel free to contact Dr. Amiso on (herbalisthome01@yahoo.com), if you are having challenges on your penis size or erection, kindly contact Dr.Amiso, in-order for your wife not to be looking else were. BREAST ENLARGEMENT
BREAST LIFT & REDUCTION
PENILE/PENIS ENLARGEMENT
GENERAL BODY SLIMMING
HIPS & THIGH REDUCTION herbalisthome01@gmail.com

Victor William said...

I want to share a testimony of how Dr.Osemuhau herbal mixture cream saves me from shame and disgrace, my penis was a big problem to me as the size was really so embarrassing,and i was also having weak erection problem. I can't make love to my wife and my penis was just too small a full grown man like me having 4 inches penis and to worsen it i don't last in sex i cant even last two minutes it was really a thing of shame to me. My wife was really tired of me because my sex life was very poor,she never enjoyed sex,i was always thinking and searching for solutions everywhere until when i saw a testimony of how Dr.Osemuhau herbal mixture cream have been helping people regarding their sex life, so i decided to give him a try and to my greatest surprise in less than one week of taking the herbs my penis grow to 8 inches i couldn't believe my eyes and as i speak now my penis is now 8 inches and i do not have week erection again. I can make love to my wife longer in bed. And my marriage is now stable,my wife now enjoy me very well in bed. can contact him drosemuhau@gmail.com {) or call or what-apps him through +2348168714427

Đồ gia dụng said...

Cửa lưới chống muỗi
Cửa lưới dạng xếp

manhquynh.1679@gmail.com said...

This is like a herring if I'm not mistaken: Máy ép dầu, May ep dau, Máy lọc dầu, Máy ép tinh dầu, Máy ép dầu thực vật, Máy ép dầu gia đình, Máy ép dầu công nghiệp, Bán máy ép dầu thực vật, Giá máy ép dầu,................

Shoppa.in said...

Very nice information, it is valuable and useful to so many people. Thanks for sharing this blog.
B2B Marketplace
Wholesalers
Our Service Partners
Refrigerator Repair Service
Satta King
Mumbai Call Girls
Digital marketing Company

sattaking said...

https://sattakingr.in


satta king


Dishavar Single Jodi will pass with 10000 % guarantee because we have date fix leak pair by which you can get rid of all your debt by playing only honest customer call or message people who play fat game will get daily profit by guarantee this chance Don't miss out, get the game booked soon satta king




Slot999 said...

Slot999 ที่สุดของเกมส์สล็อตออนไลน์ที่ มั่นคง ปลอดภัย เล่นง่าย เล่นได้ตลอด 24 ชั่วโมง พีจีสล็อต ด้วยระบบ ฝาก-ถอน เงินแบบออโต้ที่รวดเร็ว ทันใจ ไม่ต้องรอนาน มีแอดมินดูแลตลอด

Anonymous said...

Everything is a very open and very clear clarification of the issues.Thanks for posting the best information and the blog is very important.
rotating masturbator cup

tmb66 said...

tmb66 พวกเราเป็นเว็บผู้ให้บริการเกมคาสิโนออนไลน์ พนันออนไลน์ที่เหมาะสมที่สุด รวมทั้ง ใหญ่ที่สุดของทวีปเอเชีย pg slot ที่ได้เก็บรวบรวมเกมคาสิโนจากแบรนด์ต่างๆไว้ให้ลูกค้า

Pgslot แหล่งรวมสล็อตสุดฮิต said...

pgzeed โค้ด ฟรี ค่ายใหญ่ใจดีอย่าง PG SLOT นั้นได้มีการจ่ายรางวัลแล้วก็โบนัสที่มีจำนวนมากให้ลูกค้าเหล่านักลงทุนได้เลือกรับกันอย่างมากลงทะเบียนเป็นสมาชิกหนแรกจะได้รับโบนัส

เกมส์ สล็อต PG said...

ลอง เล่น เกม pg หากคุณเป็นคนรักการเล่นเกมออนไลน์และกำลังมองหามใหม่ๆ สัมผัสประสบการณ์การเล่นเกมที่ยอดเยี่ยมกับเกม PG SLOT

เล่นเกม Pgslot อย่างไรให้สามารถเอาชนะเกมได้ง่ายๆ said...

pgslot เกมไหนบ้างที่เหมาะกับผู้หญิงน่ารักมุ้งมิ้ง เกม pg slot สล็อตออนไลน์ สำหรับหลายคนอาจมองว่า เป็นเกมสล็อตที่เล่นได้เฉพาะผู้ชาย ผู้หญิงก็เล่นได้จ้า ทำออกมาเพื่อให้เกิดความสนุกสนานขึ้นเท่านั้นเอง

Hengjing168 said...

รีวิว bozz777 ครับ ผมเป็น AI ที่ถูกสร้างขึ้นเพื่อช่วยให้คุณได้รับความช่วยเหลือและคำแนะนำในการเขียนบทความภาษาไทย PG SLOT

lavaloungehouston said...

Step into Lava Lounge Houston, where culinary mastery meets genuine hospitality. Situated at the core of 9705 Westheimer Rd, our eatery has been delighting patrons with exquisite dishes and crafting unforgettable dining moments for five years. lava lounge houston