Hemiramphus


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.

Species

There are currently 11 recognized species in this genus:
SpeciesCommon nameImage
Hemiramphus archipelagicus
Collette & Parin, 1978		Jumping halfbeak
Hemiramphus balao
Lesueur, 1821		Balao halfbeak
Hemiramphus bermudensis
Collette, 1962		Bermuda halfbeak
Hemiramphus brasiliensis
Ballyhoo halfbeak
Hemiramphus convexus
M. C. W. Weber & de Beaufort, 1922
Hemiramphus depauperatus
Lay & E. T. Bennett, 1839		Tropical halfbeak
Hemiramphus far
Blackbarred halfbeak
Hemiramphus lutkei
Valenciennes, 1847		Lutke's halfbeak
Hemiramphus marginatus
Yellowtip halfbeak
Hemiramphus robustus
Günther, 1866		Three-by-two garfish
Hemiramphus saltator
C. H. Gilbert & Starks, 1904		Longfin halfbeak