Description

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.

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Beloniformes

Family: Hemiramphidae

Genus: Hemiramphus

Species: Hemiramphus far (Fabricius, 1775)

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

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 seagrasses, 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.

Habitat

brackish