What specific evolutionary event is noted to have occurred earlier than the split between the Istiophorus and Makaira clades?
The lineage of the white marlin (*Kajikia albida*) diverged from that of the *Makaira* species.
Molecular studies reveal a specific sequence in the evolutionary history of billfishes. The evidence indicates that the separation of the *Kajikia* lineage, which includes the white marlin, from the *Makaira* lineage (containing blue and black marlins) happened at a point preceding the divergence event that later separated the sailfish genus (*Istiophorus*) from the *Makaira* clade. This chronological detail underscores that the white marlin belongs to a branch of the family tree that split off earlier, suggesting a more distant evolutionary relationship to the sailfish-blue marlin grouping than those two share amongst themselves. This deep divergence explains observed differences in morphology and traits that are not immediately apparent.
