The Luvar and the Swordfish

We move now to the families Luvaridae and Xiphiidae. I could not resist mentioning the luvar, despite its rarity, for it is such a splendid fish. It is found in all the great oceans, including the Atlantic and Pacific, but occurs very rarely in the northern part of the Atlantic and is not at all common in the Mediterranean (and is not therefore catalogued). The reader who is lucky enough to see one will not forget the sight. The back is metallic blue, the sides pink-red and the belly silvery; the dorsal fin is dark but the other fin rays are scarlet.