Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Beloniformes (Needle fishes) > Hemiramphidae (Halfbeaks)
Etymology: Hemiramphus: Greek, hemi = half + Greek, rhamphos = bill, peak (Ref. 45335).

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Marine; brackish; reef-associated; non-migratory; depth range 0 - 6 m (Ref. 86942). Subtropical, preferred ?; 35°N - 36°S, 18°E - 159°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Samoa, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to northern Australia and New Caledonia. Migrated to the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ?, range 18 - ? cm
Max length : 45.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 30573); common length : 30.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5450)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-15; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 10 - 12. Greatly prolonged, beak-like lower jaw; upper jaw short, triangular and without scales; preorbital ridge absent; total number of gill rakers on first gill arch 25-36; pectoral fins short, not reaching past nasal pit when folded forward; with 3-9 (usually 4-6) vertical bars on the sides. (Ref. 9843). Color bluish dorsally, silvery on sides. 36-41 predorsal scales. Lower lobe of caudal fin longer than upper lobe. Dorsal and anal fins located posteriorly.

Occur in coastal waters of high islands and continental shorelines; generally in areas rich in vegetation (Ref. 5213) and sand flats (Ref. 48635). Form schools. Adults feed mainly on sea grasses, to a lesser extent on green algae and diatoms (Ref. 9843). Breed in estuaries (Ref. 4164). Marketed fresh and dried salted (Ref. 5284, 9843); meat tasty (Ref. 637). Also caught with dragnets (Ref. 30573) and dipnets.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Collette, Bruce B. | Collaborators

Collette, B.B. and J. Su, 1986. The halfbeaks (Pisces, Beloniformes, Hemiramphidae) of the Far East. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 138(1):250-301. (Ref. 10943)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Not Evaluated

CITES (Ref. 94142)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; bait: occasionally

FAO(Publication : search) | FisheriesWiki | Sea Around Us

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Internet sources

Hemiramphus far (Forsskål, 1775)