HYPORHAMPHUS BALINENSIS - (BLEEKER, 1858)
Picture courtesy of: Jack Berthomier (Flicker)
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Beloniformes (Order) > Hemiramphidae (Family) > Hyporhamphus (Genus)
Demi-bec Balinais, Bali halfbeak, Balinese garfish, Balinese halfbeak, 巴利下鱵鱼,
Synonyme
Hemiramphus balinensis (Bleeker, 1858)
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Description
Dorsal soft rays (total): 14-17 (rarely: 14); Anal soft rays: 16-19; Pectoral fin rays: 10-12. Gill rakers on first arch: 6-11 + 21-27 = 29-38; Gill rakers on second arch: 3-6 + 16-22 = 20-26. Body depth: 8.3-11.5 in SL; Body width: 1.2-1.5 in body depth (1.5-1.7 in juveniles); Head long: 4.2-4.8 in SL (4.5-5.2 in juveniles <10 cm SL), proportion of head long increasing with growth. Upper jaw triangular and pointed, width: 0.6-0.7 in length. Lower jaw: 3.1-3.8 in SL, 0.7-0.9 in HL (in juveniles: to ~1.7 in SL, and to ~0.35 in HL), proportion of jaw length decreasing with growth. Jaw teeth in 3-5 rows on both jaws, very small, sharp, and unicuspid or with additional lateral cusps. Preorbital length: 1.0-1.1 in eye diameter (to ~1.6 in juveniles), 0.6-0.85 in upper jaw length; Posterior branch of preorbital canal forms obtuse angle with anterior branch; Ventral pore very wide. Pectoral fin length: 9.5-11.4 in SL, subequal to or slightly greater than distance from fin origin to rear edge of eye; Pelvic fins: 17.0-18.0 in SL, fins midway between pectoral fin origins and caudal fin base (P1-P2/P2-C = 0.95-1.1). Anterior lobe of dorsal fin barely pronounced; Anterior part of dorsal fin (up to 7th-9th ray) and entire anal fin scaly; Predorsal scales: 39-46 (rarely: 39). Vertebrae: 36-39 + 18-21 = 55-59. Caudal fin distinctly forked. Max. length: 16.5 cm SL. Depth range: 0 - 3 m.
Color
Greenish above, silvery white below, silvery stripe on side, fleshy tip of beak red.
Etymology
Hyporhamphus: from Greek prefix, hypo- = below, beneath, under + from Greek, rhamphus = beak. Referring to lower jaw prolonged into a slender beak.
balinensis: from the type locality, Bali, Indonesia.
Original description: Hemiramphus balinensis Bleeker, 1858 - Type locality: Boleling, northern Bali, Bali Sea, Indonesia, eastern Indian Ocean.
Distribution
Red Sea and Indo-West Pacific: East Africa, Seychelles, Mozambique Channel and Madagascar, east to Tuamotu Archipelago (French Polynesia), north to Philippines, south to northwestern Australia and New Caledonia.
Biology
Reef-associated occurring in superficial waters. Mostly taken with seines and gillnets. Matures at ~12–13 cm SL.
Similar species
Hyporhamphus affinis (Günther, 1866) - Reported from New Caledonia. Tip and distal half of underside of lower jaw bright carmine red.
Hyporhamphus dussumieri (Valenciennes, 1847) - Reported from Indo-West Pacific: Mozambique Channel, Madagascar, Seychelles and Maldives, east to Tuamotu Archipelago (French Polynesia), north to Ryukyu Islands and Kagoshima Prefecture (southern Japan), south to northern Australia.
Last update: 20, September 2024