Balao halfbeak

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Balao halfbeak
Halfbeak 600.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Beloniformes
Family: Hemiramphidae
Genus: Hemiramphus
Species:
H. balao
Binomial name
Hemiramphus balao
Lesueur, 1821
Synonyms
  • Hemiramphus guineensis Bleeker, 1863
  • Hemiramphus pleii Valenciennes, 1847
  • Hemiramphus vittatusValenciennes, 1843
  • Hemiramphus macrochirus Poey, 1860

The Balao halfbeak (Hemiramphus balao), occasionally called the Balao for short, is an ocean-going species of fish in the family Hemiramphidae. It was first described by the French naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur in 1821. They are used as cut bait and for trolling purposes by saltwater sportsmen. [2] [3]

Contents

Description

The Balao halfbeak is similar in appearance to its relative the ballyhoo (H. brasiliensis). The main difference between the two is that the distance from the nares to the base of the pectoral fin is greater than the length of the ballyhoo's pectoral fin, while that difference is less than the length of the Balao halfbeak's pectoral fin [4] They have no spines on fins, but do have 11-15 rays of their dorsal fins and 10-13 rays on their anal fins. [4] Balao halfbeak have blue-gray skin on their backs, [4] while their undersides are silver or white. The longest recorded Balao halfbeak was 40 cm long. [5]

Distribution and habitat

Balao halfbeak are found only in the Atlantic Ocean. In the west, they are known from New York south to Brazil, including much of the Gulf of Mexico [6] and the Caribbean. [7] In the eastern Atlantic, they are known from the Canary Islands and the Gulf of Guinea from Victoria, Nigeria to Luanda, Angola. [8] Balao halfbeak have also been recorded from Côte d'Ivoire. [9]

Balao halfbeak can form fairly large schools where they feed on smaller fishes and zooplankton. [7] They can be found in both brackish and marine waters and are associated with reefs. [7] [10] [11] Although they are mainly used by humans as baitfish for sailfish and marlin, they are also used as food in the West Indies. [7] Balao halfbeak are also preyed upon by the brown noddy and the sooty tern. [4]

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Hemiramphidae is a family of fishes that are commonly called halfbeaks, spipe fish or spipefish. They are a geographically widespread and numerically abundant family of epipelagic fish inhabiting warm waters around the world. The halfbeaks are named for their distinctive jaws, in which the lower jaws are significantly longer than the upper jaws. The similar viviparous halfbeaks have often been included in this family.

Beloniformes Order of fishes

Beloniformes is an order composed of six families of freshwater and marine ray-finned fish:

Billfish Group of fishes

The term billfish refers to a group of predatory fish characterised by prominent bills, or rostra, and by their large size; some are longer than 4 m (13 ft). Billfish include sailfish and marlin, which make up the family Istiophoridae, and swordfish, sole member of the family Xiphiidae. They are apex predators which feed on a wide variety of smaller fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods. These two families are sometimes classified as belonging to the order Istiophoriformes, a group with origins in the Late Cretaceous around 71 million years ago with the two families diverging from one and another in the Late Miocene around 15 million years ago. However, they are also classified as being closely related to the mackerels and tuna within the suborder Scombroidei of the order Perciformes. However, the 5th edition of the Fishes of the World does recognise the Istiophoriformes as a valid order, albeit including the Sphyraenidae, the barracudas.

The ballyhoo halfbeak or ballyhoo is a baitfish of the halfbeak family (Hemiramphidae). It is similar to the Balao halfbeak in most features. Ballyhoo are frequently used as cut bait and for trolling purposes by saltwater sportsmen. The fish is reported to have caused ciguatera poisoning in humans.

<i>Hemiramphus</i> Genus of fishes

Hemiramphus is a genus of schooling marine fish commonly called halfbeaks, garfish, or ballyhoos, and are members of the family Hemiramphidae. They inhabit the surface of warm temperate and tropical sea, and feed on algae, plankton, and smaller fish. Hemiramphus species are edible but are more important as food fish for larger predatory species including dolphinfish and billfish.

Schoolmaster snapper Species of fish

The schoolmaster snapper, also known as the dogtooth snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. Like other snapper species, it is a popular food fish.

<i>Euleptorhamphus</i> Genus of fishes

Euleptorhamphus is a genus of halfbeaks in the order Beloniformes.

Gulf menhaden Species of fish

The Gulf menhaden is a small marine filter-feeding fish belonging to the family Clupeidae. The range of Gulf menhaden encompasses the entirety of the Gulf of Mexico nearshore waters, with the exception of the extreme eastern Yucatan and western Cuba. Evidence from morphology and DNA analyses suggest that the Gulf menhaden is the Gulf of Mexico complement to the Atlantic menhaden. Both species support large commercial reduction fisheries, with Gulf menhaden supporting the second largest fishery, by weight, in the United States.

Flat needlefish Species of fish

The flat needlefish, the only known member of the genus Ablennes, is a marine fish of the family Belonidae. Flat needlefish are considered gamefish, frequently caught with the help of artificial lights, but are not often eaten because of their green-colored flesh.

Lampara net

A lampara net is a type of fishing net. It is a surrounding net having the shape of a spoon or a dustpan with a short leadline under a longer floatline. The net has a central bunt to contain the fish and two lateral wings.

Gulf bareye tilefish Species of fish

The Gulf bareye tilefish, also known as the anchor tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean.

Rhynchorhamphus georgii or long-billed halfbeak is a halfbeak of the family Hemiramphidae of the order Beloniformes.

Gulf butterfish Species of fish

The Gulf butterfish is a fish species of the family Stromateidae found in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of the Eastern United States.

The jumping halfbeak, is a reef-associated marine species of fish in the family Hemiramphidae. It is a valued commercial fish in tropical countries both dried salted and fresh forms.

<i>Hemiramphus far</i> Species of fish

Hemiramphus far, the halfbeak, black-barred halfbeak, black-barred garfish, barred halfbeak, barred garfish or spotted halfbeak, is a schooling marine fish in the family Hemiramphidae. It has an Indo-Pacific distribution and has invaded the eastern Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.

The Longfin halfbeak is an ocean-going species of fish in the family Hemiramphidae native to the eastern Pacific Ocean.

<i>Hyporhamphus unifasciatus</i> Species of fish

Hyporhamphus unifasciatus, the common halfbeak or the Atlantic silverstripe halfbeak, is a bony fish in the family Hemiramphidae. It is found in the subtropical western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. It is a common fish and not used for food to any great extent, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Exocoetoidea Superfamily of fishes

Exocoetoidea is a superfamily of fishes that comprises three families, the flying fishes, the halfbeaks and the viviparous halfbeaks. They are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. Exocoetoidea is part of the suborder Exocoetoidei of the order Beloniformes.

Caulolatilus chrysops, the Atlantic goldeneye tilefish or gold face tilefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a tilefish belonging to the family Malacanthidae. It occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean.

References

  1. ↑ Collette, B.; Polanco Fernandez, A.; Aiken, K.A. (2015). "Hemiramphus balao". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T15521875A15603425. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T15521875A15603425.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ McBride, Richard S., Lisa Foushee, and Behzad Mahmoudi. 1996. Florida's Halfbeak, "Hemiramphus" spp., Bait Fishery Marine Fisheries Review. 58(1-2): 29-38.
  3. ↑ McBride, Richard S.. 2001. Landings, value, and fishing effort for halfbeaks, "Hemiramphus" spp., in the South Florida Lampara Net Fishery Proceedings of the 52nd Gulf Caribbean Fisheries Institute. 52: 103-115.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2009). "Hemiramphus balao" in FishBase . 06 2009 version.
  5. ↑ Collette, B.B. 1981 Hemiramphidae. In W. Fischer, G. Bianchi and W.B. Scott (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Eastern Central Atlantic (Fishing Areas 34, 47 (in part)). Volume 2. Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and FAO. Rome.
  6. ↑ Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray 1986 A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, USA 354 p.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Collette, B.B. 1978 Hemiramphidae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Central Atlantic (Fishing Area 31), Volume 2. FAO, Rome.
  8. ↑ Collette, B.B. and N.V. Parin 1990 Hemiramphidae. p. 579-582. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic" (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
  9. ↑ Diouf, P.S. 1996 "Les peuplements de poissons des milieux estuariens de l'Afrique de l'Ouest: L'exemple de l'estuaire hyperhalin du Sine-Saloum". Université de Montpellier II. Thèses et Documents Microfiches No.156. ORSTOM, Paris. 267 p.
  10. ↑ McBride, Richard S., and Justin R. Styer. 2002. Species Composition, Catch Rates, and Size Structure of Fishes Captured in the South Florida Lampara Net Fishery Archived 2016-12-08 at the Wayback Machine Marine Fisheries Review. 64(1): 21-27.
  11. ↑ McBride, Richard S., Justin R. Styer, and Rob Hudson. 2003. Spawning cycles and habitats for ballyhoo (Hemiramphus brasiliensis) and balao (H. balao) in south Florida Fishery Bulletin 101:583–589.

McBride, Richard S., and Paul E. Thurman. 2003. Reproductive Biology of Hemiramphus brasiliensis and H. balao (Hemiramphidae): Maturation, Spawning Frequency, and Fecundity. Biol. Bull. 204: 57–67.

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