Hemiramphus balao
Balao
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Beloniformes
Hemiramphidae (Halfbeaks)
Hemiramphus
Hemiramphus balao (Balao)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Moderately elongate and moderately compressed body; elongate, pointed lower jaw; jaw teeth arranged in bands, weak, and mostly tricuspid; gill rakers on first arch number 31 to 37; pectoral fin has 10 to 12 rays (usually 11); dorsal fin is emarginate and has 11 to 15 rays; pelvic fin extends to origin of dorsal fin; anal fin originates posterior to dorsal fin origin and has 10 to 13 rays; caudal peduncle is relatively stout; caudal fin is deeply forked, with lower lobe extending beyond upper lobe; body covered with moderate-sized cycloid scales, but scales are absent on upper jaw and on dorsal and anal fins; vertebrae number 54 to 56
Dark bluish dorsally and silvery ventrally; moderately broad lateral stripe extends from operculum to caudal peduncle; lower jaw is black, with fleshy red tip; upper lobe of caudal fin is bluish violet, and lower lobe is bluish
Distribution
New York to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean Sea
Habitat Associations
Tropical and sub-tropical Atlantic; inshore species
Often forming large schools
Biology
Small fishes and planktonic organisms
258 mm SL
An inshore, surface-dwelling fish which forms sizeable schools (Ref. 3723). Feeds on small fishes and plankton (Ref. 3723). Mainly used as bait for offshore game fishes such as sailfishes and marlins; utilized as a food fish in the West Indies (Ref. 3723). Minimum depth range from Ref. 84211.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-08-21. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial.
References
Collette 1965
Collette 1978c
Bohlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968
Hoese and Moore 1977
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Cervigon 1991
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Collette, B.B. (1981) Hemiramphidae. In W. Fischer, G. Bianchi and W.B. Scott (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Eastern Central Atlantic (Fishing Areas 34, 47 (in part)). Volume 2. Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and FAO. Rome.
Collette, B.B. (1978) Hemiramphidae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Central Atlantic (Fishing Area 31), Volume 2. FAO, Rome.
Collette, B.B. and N.V. Parin (1990) Hemiramphidae. p. 579-582. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
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.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
Bauchot, M.-L. (2003) Hemiramphidae. p. 289-292 In C. Lévêque, D. Paugy and G.G. Teugels (eds.) Faune des poissons d'eaux douce et saumâtres de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, Tome 2. Coll. Faune et Flore tropicales 40. Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgique, Museum National d'Histoire Naturalle, Paris, France and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Paris, France. 815 p.
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