Hemiramphus brasiliensis
Ballyhoo
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Beloniformes
Hemiramphidae (Halfbeaks)
Hemiramphus
Hemiramphus brasiliensis (Ballyhoo)
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, with an elongate, pointed lower jaw; relatively short pectoral fins; and a deeply forked and asymmetrical caudal fin. Jaw teeth are arranged in bands and are weak and mostly tricuspid. Gill rakers on first arch number 29 to 34. Pectoral fin has 10 to 12 rays. Dorsal fin is emarginate and has 12 to 15 rays. Pelvic fin extends to origin of dorsal fin. Anal fin originates posterior to dorsal fin origin and has 11 to 15 (usually 13) rays. Caudal peduncle is relatively stout. Caudal fin is deeply forked, with lower lobe considerably longer than upper lobe. Relatively large cycloid scales occur on body but are absent on upper jaw and on dorsal and anal fins. Vertebrae number 52 to 55.
Dark bluish green dorsally and silvery white ventrally. Lower jaw is black, with fleshy red tip. Upper lobe of caudal fin is yellowish orange, and lower lobe is dusky.
Distribution
In the western Atlantic it occurs from Massachusetts to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
Habitat Associations
Tropical and subtropical Atlantic, inshore species
Biology
Food consists of small fishes and sea grasses.
Maximum known size is 290 mm SL
An inshore, surface-dwelling species forming sizeable schools (Ref. 3723). Feeds mainly on sea grasses and small fishes (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).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-08-21. Resilience: Medium (K=0.58 questionable; assuming tmax>3).
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
Hoese and Moore 1977
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Cervigon 1991
Boschung 1992
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Schneider, W. (1990) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Field guide to the commercial marine resources of the Gulf of Guinea. Prepared and published with the support of the FAO Regional Office for Africa. Rome: FAO. 268 p.
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.
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.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
Comments On Hemiramphus brasiliensis