Largehead hairtail
| Largehead hairtail | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Trichiuridae |
| Genus: | Trichiurus |
| Species: | T. lepturus |
| Binomial name | |
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Trichiurus lepturus Linnaeus, 1758 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Trichiurus coxii |
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Trichiurus coxii
Trichiurus haumela
Trichiurus japonicus
Trichiurus nitens
The largehead hairtail (also , Trichiurus lepturus) is a member of the cutlassfish family, Trichiuridae. It is a long, slender fish found throughout the tropical and temperate oceans of the world. The Atlantic, East Pacific and Northwest Pacific populations are also known as Atlantic cutlassfish, Pacific cutlassfish and Japanese cutlassfish, respectively.
Largehead hairtails can grow to 2.34 m (7.7 ft) in length, although most only are 1 m (3.3 ft). The largest recorded weight is 5 kg (11 lb) and the oldest recorded age is 15 years. They prefer coastal regions and sometimes enter estuaries. They are found at depths of 0 to 589 m (0 to 1,932 ft) with most records between 100 and 350 m (330 and 1,150 ft).
Although often considered a single highly widespread species, it has been argued that it is a species complex that includes several species with the main groups being in the Atlantic (Atlantic cutlassfish), East Pacific (Pacific cutlassfish), Indo-Pacific and Northwest Pacific (Japanese cutlassfish). If split, the Atlantic would retain the scientific name T. lepturus. The Northwest Pacific (Sea of Japan and East China Sea) differs in morphometrics, meristics and genetics, and is sometimes recognized as T. japonicus. Morphometric and meristic differences have also been shown in the population of the East Pacific (California to Peru), leading some to recognize it as T. nitens. Additional studies are required on the possible separation and nomenclature of the Indo-Pacific populations, but based on mtDNA there are three species in this region: T. japonicus (marginal in the region, see range above), T. lepturus (West Pacific; the species also found in the Atlantic) and the final preliminarily referred to as Trichiurus sp. 2 (Indian Ocean, and East and South China Seas). The names T. coxii and T. haumela have been used for the populations off Australia and in the Indo-Pacific, respectively, but firm evidence supporting their validity as species is lacking.
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