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• Taxonomy
• Physical Description
• Distribution
• Habitat
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
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Overview:

Family: Needlefishes; Inhabits oceanic and neritic waters (Ref. 26340). Feeds on small fishes. Oviparous (Ref. 205). Eggs may be found attached to objects in the water by tendrils on the egg's surface (Ref. 205). Although sold fresh and salted, its market is limited due to the green-colored flesh (Ref. 5217).

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms:

1. Belone altipinna Poey, 1860
2. Belone carribea Lesueur, 1821
3. Belone jonesii Goode, 1877
4. Belone latimana Poey, 1860
5. Sphyraena acus Lacepède, 1803
6. Strongylura acus (non Lacepède, 1803)
7. Tylosaurus acus (Lacepède, 1803)
8. Tylosurus acus (Lacepède, 1803)

Misapplied Names:

1. Belone gerania (non Valenciennes, 1846)

Physical Description

Family Belonidae:

Distribution: Marine and freshwater. Tropical and temperate waters. Diagnostic Features: Elongate fishes with both upper and lower jaws extended into long beaks filled with sharp teeth (except in neotenic Belonion); nostrils in a pit anterior to eyes. No spines in fins; dorsal and anal fins posterior in position; pectoral fins short. Dorsal fin with 11-43 rays; anal fin with 12-39 rays, pelvic fins, with 6 soft rays, are located in an abdominal position; and pectoral fins with 5-15 rays. Lateral line running down from pectoral fin origin and then along ventral margin of body. Scales small, cycloid, easily detached. Precaudal vertebrae 33-65, caudal vertebrae 19-41 and total vertebrae 52-97. Colour: These fishes live at the surface and are protectively colored for this mode of life by being green or blue on the back and silvery white on the lower sides and belly. Usually, a dusky or dark blue stripe along sides; fleshy tip of lower jaw frequently red or orange. Some fresh water needlefishes reach only 6 or 7 cm in total length while some marine species may attain 2 m. Composition of Family: The Belonidae contains 10 genera and 34 species. Four genera are monotypic: the southern African Petalichthys, the worldwide Ablennes and Platybelone, and apparently the Asian freshwater Xenetodon. The eastern Atlantic Belone contains two species. Tylosurus contains six species of strictly marine species. Three genera are restricted to freshwaters of South America: Belonion (two species), Potamorrhaphis (three), and Pseudotylosurus (two). The most speciose genus, Strongylura, contains 14 species, mostly marine, some estuarine, and three strictly freshwater, two of which are found in Central and South America, S. fluviatilis from Ecuador and Colombia and S. hubbsi from Mexico and Guatemala. Five species are considered polytypic, containing a total of 17 subspecies. Habitat and Biology: Most species are marine, but some occur in freshwaters. Carnivorous, feeding largely on small fishes which they catch sideways in their beaks. Needlefishes tend to leap and skitter at the surface and some people have been injured when accidentally struck by them, particularly at night when the fishes are attracted by lights. Interest to Fisheries: Caught by casting or trolling surface or near-surface lures and in floating gill nets. Flesh excellent in flavor although some people have misgivings about eating it due to the presence of many small bones and the green color of the bones.

The family Belonidae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and the Order Beloniformes. It contains 10 genera and 34 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 nonguarders. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is carangiform. Members of this family have been dated back to the middle Oligocene epoch of the Tertiary period. This family may be found from 65° n to 40° s and 122° w to 154° e. Etymology of this family name: Greek, belone = needle

Images:

Distribution

Range and Population

Western Atlantic Ocean

Habitat

Biome

Saltwater. Reef-associated.

Similar Species

Members of the genus Tylosurus:

There are approximately 47 species and subspecies in this genus: T. acus subsp. rafale · T. acus subsp. imperialis · T. acus · T. acus acus (Agujon) · T. acus imperiales · T. acus imperialis · T. acus melannotus · T. acus melanotus (Agujon Needlefish) · T. acus pacificus · T. acus rafale (Agujon Needlefish) · T. anastomella · T. appendiculatus · T. ccrocodilus · T. choram (Full Beak) · T. corocodilus · T. crocodila · T. crocodilis crocodilis · T. crocodilis crocodilus · T. crocodilus (Houndfish) · T. crocodilus crocodilus (Crocodile Longtom) · T. crocodilus fodiator (Hound Needlefish) · T. exilis · T. fudiator · T. gavialoides (Longtom) · T. gavialoides crocodilus · T. gigantea · T. gavialoides · T. imperialis melanotus · T. incisus · T. indica · T. indicus · T. inscisa · T. kreffti · T. macrolepis · T. marinus · T. melanata · T. melanotus melanotus · T. notatus · T. pacificus (Agujon Needlefish) · T. punctulata · T. punctulatus (Spotted Long-Tom) · T. raphidomus · T. robusta · T. gavialoides · T. timucu · T. gavialoides · T. gavialoides

Bibliography

• Böhlke, J.E. and C.C.G. Chaplin (1993). Fishes of the Bahamas and adjacent tropical waters. 2nd edition. University of Texas Press, Austin.
• Cervigón, F., R. Cipriani, W. Fischer, L. Garibaldi, M. Hendrickx, A.J. Lemus, R. Márquez, J.M. Poutiers, G. Robaina and B. Rodriguez (1992). Fichas FAO de identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca. Guía de campo de las especies comerciales ma
• Claro, R. (1994). Características generales de la ictiofauna. p. 55-70. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo.
• Collette, B.B. (1978). Belonidae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. West Central Atlantic (Fishing Area 31), Volume 1. FAO, Rome.
• Collette, B.B. and N.V. Parin (1986). Belonidae. p. 604-609. In P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese (eds.) Fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Volume 2. Unesco, Paris.
• Coupal, L., E. Bédard, C. Peguero and I.S. Durante (1992). Repertorio ictionímici de la República Dominicana. Fáscículo I : Acanthuridae - Carangidae. LIRD.
• Kaba, B. (1994). Caractéristiques biologiques de Pseudotolithus typus et Pseudotolithus senegalensis des zones côtières de la République de Guinée. p. 172-188. In Thèse de dissertation pour le Doctorat 3ème cycle (PhD). Universitéd'etat
• Lanfranco, G.G. (1993). The fish around Malta. Progress Press Co., Ltd., Malta.
• Online resource
• 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. and G.C. Ray (1986). A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
• U.P. Visayas Foundation, Inc. (1993). Resource and ecological assessment of Ormoc Bay. Vol.5. The fisheries of Ormoc Bay. Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanology Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. IMFO Tech. Rep. No.15.

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Notes

Contributors:

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed April 5, 2007.
• Collette, Bruce B. (from FishBase).
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 14, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 31 providers.

Identifiers:

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 165572
• Fishbase Species ID: 976
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13598142
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 125921