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Euleptorhamphus viridis

(Flying Halfbeak, Garfish, Long-Finned Garfish, Longbeaked Garfish, Ribbon Halfbeak)

Overview:

Family: Halfbeaks; Usually oceanic but enters large open bays (Ref. 2850). Found around islands (Ref. 9306). Capable of jumping out of the water and gliding above the surface (Ref. 9306).

Taxonomy

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  • Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
    • Kingdom: Animalia Linnaeus, 1758 - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
      • Subkingdom: Bilateria (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians

Unambiguous Synonyms:

  1. Euleptorhamphus brevoortii Gill, 1959
  2. Euleptorhamphus longirostris (Cuvier, 1829)
  3. Hemiramphus longirostris Cuvier, 1829
  4. Hemiramphus macrorhynchus Valenciennes, 1847
  5. Hemiramphus tweediei Herre, 1936
  6. Hemiramphus viridis van Hasselt, 1823
  7. Hemirhamphus elongatus Tanaka, 1911
  8. Hemirhamphus longirostris Cuvier, 1829
  9. Hemirhamphus viridis van Hasselt, 1823

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name.

Physical Description

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Family Hemiramphidae:

Halfbeaks are known from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. The lower jaw much longer than upper jaw; premaxillae pointed anteriorly; short pectoral and pelvic fins. Vertebrae 38-75 (except 18-25 in Arrhamphus). About 45 cm maximum length. Eggs are attached to algae in shallow waters; viviparity in Dermogenys, Nomorphamphus, and Hemirhamphodon. Surface dwelling omnivores of algae, zooplankton and fishes. CLOFFSCA: The Hemiramphidae, the halfbeaks, are one of five families of the order Beloniformes. They are the sister-group of the Exocoetidae, the flying fishes, forming the superfamily Exocoetoidea (Collette et al., 1984). Most halfbeaks have an elongate lower jaw that distinguishes them from flying fishes which have lost the elongate lower jaw and from needlefishes (Belonidae) and sauries (Scomberesocidae) which have both jaws elongate. The family is defined by one derived character, third pair of upper pharyngeal bones anklylosed into a plate. Other diagnostic characters include: pectoral fins short or moderately long; premaxillae pointed anteriorly, forming a triangular upper jaw (except in Oxyporhamphus); lower jaw elongate in juveniles of all genera, adults of most genera; parapophyses forked; swimbladder not extending into haemal canal; nostrils in a pit anterior to the eyes; no spines in fins; dorsal and anal fins posterior in position; pelvic fins in abdominal position, with 6 soft rays; lateral line running down from pectoral fin origin and then backward along ventral margin of body. Scales moderately large, cycloid, easily detached. Color. These fishes live at the surface and are protectively colored for this mode of life being green or blue on the back and silvery white on the sides and ventrally. Tip of the lower jaw bright red or orange in life in most species. Most species are marine, but some inhabit freshwaters; omnivorous, feeding on floating sea grasses, crustaceans and small fishes. They are prone to leap and skitter at the surface and one offshore species, Euleptorhamphus velox can leap out of the water and glide like a flying fish. The flesh is excellent and larger species of halfbeaks are utilized as food in many parts of the world. In the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, they are more important as baitfish for billfishes, dolphins, kingfish, wahoo, and king mackerel than as food fish. They are caught with seines or dipnetted under lights at night. The Hemiramphidae contains 12 genera and over 100 species (Collette, in press.) Four genera, the first three monotypic (Arrhamphus, Chriodorus, Melapedalion, and Oxyporhampus) have very short or no beaks. Euleptorhamphus and Oxyporhamphus contain two offshore species each. The subfamily Zenarchopterinae contains five genera and about 50 sexually dimorphic internally-fertilizing Indo-West Pacific estuarine or freshwater species (Meisner and Collette, 1999). Three of these genera (Dermogenys, Hemirhamphodon, and Nomorhamphus) are viviparous and have the anal fin of the male modified into an andropodium. Hemiramphus (with 10 species) is a world wide marine genus. Rhynchorhamphus (with 4 species) has fimbriate nasal papillae and is confined to Indo-West Pacific marine waters. Hyporhamphus, the most speciose genus, includes two subgenera, Hyporhamphus with 23 species and Reporhamphus with 11 species, all confined to the Indo-West Pacific. Some species are marine, some estuarine, and some freshwater. All genera are characterized by particular lateral line characters (Parin and Astakhov, 1982). The halfbeak fauna of the western Atlantic includes nine marine species in five genera (Collette, in press), Chriodorus (1 species), Euleptorhamphus (1), Oxyporhamphus (1), Hemiramphus (3), and Hyporhamphus (3), plus two freshwater species of Hyporhamphus in rivers draining into the western Atlantic.

The family Hemiramphidae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and the Order Beloniformes. It contains 12 genera and 85 species. It may be found in Marine, Brackish, and Freshwater environments and is primarily Marine. Some members of this family are used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are mixed. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is carangiform. Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be active. Members of this family have been dated back to the Eocene epoch of the Tertiary period. This family may be found from 55° n to 40° s and 120° w to 154° e. Etymology of this family name: Greek, hemi = half + Greek, rhamphos = beak, bill

Images:

Distribution

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Range and Population

East Pacific

Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii[1] and Tonga, north to southern Japan, south to Australia, New Zealand and Kermadec Islands[2]. Eastern Pacific: southern California, USA to Ecuador, including the Galapagos Islands[3].

Habitat

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Biome

Saltwater. Pelagic.

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Euleptorhamphus:

There are approximately 7 species and subspecies in this genus: Hyporhamphus regularis subsp. ardelio · E. peronides · E. velox (Flying Halfbeak) · E. viridis (Flying Halfbeak) · E. viridiz · E. viridus · E. vivious

Bibliography

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  • Bearez, P. (1996). Lista de los peces marinos del Ecuador continental. Rev. Biol. Trop. 44(2):731-741.
  • Collette, B.B. (1986). Hemiramphidae. p. 388-391. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
  • Collette, B.B. (1995). Hemiramphidae. Agujetas. p. 1175-1181. In W. Fischer, F. Krupp, W. Schneider, C. Sommer, K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) Guia FAO para Identification de Especies para lo Fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Centro-Oriental. 3 Vols. FAO
  • Collette, B.B. (1999). Hemiramphidae. Halfbeaks. pp. 2180-2196. In K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. Vol. 4. Bony fishes part 2 (Mugilidae to Carangidae).
  • Collette, Bruce B. 2004. Family Hemiramphidae Gill 1859: Halfbeaks. California Academy of Sciences Annotated Checklists of Fishes, no. 22. 1-35.
  • Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann (1983). A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 336 p.
  • Fischer, W., I. Sousa, C. Silva, A. de Freitas, J.M. Poutiers, W. Schneider, T.C. Borges, J.P. Feral and A. Massinga (1990). Fichas FAO de identificaçao de espécies para actividades de pesca. Guia de campo das espécies comerciais marinhas e de águas salob
  • Francis, M. P. (1993). Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, Southwest Pacific Ocean. Pac. Sci. 47(2):136-170.
  • Francis, M.P. (1991). Additions to the fish faunas of Lord Howe, Norfolk and Kermadec Islands, Southwest Pacific Ocean. Pac. Sci. 45(2):204-220.
  • Fricke, R. (1999). Fishes of the Mascarene Islands (Réunion, Mauritius, Rodriguez): an annotated checklist, with descriptions of new species. Koeltz Scientific Books, Koenigstein, Theses Zoologicae, Vol. 31: 759 p.
  • Kailola, P.J. (1987). The fishes of Papua New Guinea. A revised and annotated checklist. Vol. 1. Myxinidae to Synbranchidae. Research Bulletin No. 41. Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. 194 p.
  • Kapoor, D., R. Dayal and A.G. Ponniah (2002). Fish biodiversity of India. National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources Lucknow, India.775 p.
  • Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno and T. Yoshino (1984). The fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Vol. 1 (text). Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. 437 p. (text), 370 pls.
  • McCormack, G. (2000). Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage database. Sent by Gerald McCormack as RTF document in May 2000 for use in FishBase.
  • Myers, R.F. (1999). Micronesian reef fishes: a comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia, 3rd revised and expanded edition. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 330 p.
  • Nguyen Huu Phung and Nguyen Nhat Thi (1994). Checklist of marine fishes in Vietnam. Vol. 2. Osteichthyes, from Elopiformes to Mugiliformes. Science and Technics Publishing House, Vietnam.
  • Paulin, C., A. Stewart, C. Roberts and P. McMillan (1989). New Zealand fish: a complete guide. National Museum of New Zealand Miscellaneous Series No. 19. 279 p.
  • Randall, J.E. and C. Anderson (1993). Annotated checklist of the epipelagic and shore fishes of the Maldives Islands. Ichthyol. Bull. of the J.L.B. Smith Inst. of Ichthyol. 59:47.
  • Randall, J.E., H. Ida, K. Kato, R.L. Pyle and J.L. Earle (1997). Annotated checklist of inshore fishes of the Ogasawara Islands. Nat. Sci. Mus. Monogr. (11):1-74.
  • Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea and W.B. Scott (1991). Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Pub. (20):183 p.
  • Robins, Richard C., Reeve M. Bailey, Carl E. Bond, James R. Brooker, Ernest A. Lachner, et al. 1991. Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States and Canada, Fifth Edition. American Fisheries Society Special Publication, no. 20. American Fisheries Society. Bethesda, Maryland, USA. 183. ISBN: 0-913235-70-9.
  • Shen, S.C. (ed.) (1993). Fishes of Taiwan. Department of Zoology, National Taiwan University, Taipei. 960 p.
  • Smith, A. and P. Dalzell (1993). Fisheries resources and management investigations in Woleai Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia. Inshore Fish. Res. Proj., Tech. Doc., South Pacific Commission. Noumea, New Caledonia. 64 p.
  • Sommer, C., W. Schneider and J.-M. Poutiers (1996). FAO species identification field guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of Somalia. FAO, Rome. 376 p.
  • Tinker, S.W. (1978). Fishes of Hawaii, a handbook of the marine fishes of Hawaii and the Central Pacific Ocean. Hawaiian Service Inc., Honolulu. 568 p.
  • Wass, R. C. (1984). An annotated checklist of the fishes of Samoa. Natl. Ocean. Atmos. Adminis. Tech. Rept., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Spec. Sci. Rept. Fish. (781).

More Info

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Notes

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Contributors:

  • Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed May 31, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 15, 2007:

Identifiers:

Footnotes:

  1. Tinker, S.W. (1978). Fishes of Hawaii, a handbook of the marine fishes of Hawaii and the Central Pacific Ocean. Hawaiian Service Inc., Honolulu. 568 p.
  2. Francis, M. P. (1993). Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, Southwest Pacific Ocean. Pac. Sci. 47(2):136-170.
  3. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann (1983). A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 336 p.

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Last Revised: May 16, 2008