Hyporhamphus meeki
False Silverstripe Halfbeak
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Beloniformes
Hemiramphidae (Halfbeaks)
Hyporhamphus
Hyporhamphus meeki (False Silverstripe Halfbeak)
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
Elongate, moderately compressed, and oval in cross section, with an elongated, beaklike lower jaw; preorbital ridge lateral to naris; and relatively short pectoral fins. Jaw teeth arranged in bands and weak, with those of upper jaw unicuspid and those of lower jaw tricuspid. Gill rakers on first arch number 31 to 40. Snout length is 7.9% to 8.5%, head length is 22.3% to 23.4%, head width is 6.7% to 7.4%, orbit diameter is 4.6% to 5.2%, interorbital width is 5.3% to 5.5%, height of anterior dorsal fin lobe is 8% to 9.1%, height of anterior anal fin lobe is 8.5% to 8.7%, pectoral fin length is 9.3% to 12.4%, and pelvic fin length is 7.9% to 9% of SL. Pectoral fin has 10 to 13 (usually 11 or 12) rays. Dorsal fin is emarginate and has 12 to 17 (usually 14 or 15) rays. Pelvic fin fails to reach origin of dorsal fin. Anal fin is similar in size to dorsal fin and has 14 to 18 (usually 16) rays. Caudal peduncle is rather slender. Caudal fin is emarginate to slightly forked, with lower lobe extending beyond upper lobe. Body, upper jaw, and dorsal and anal fins are covered with cycloid scales.
Color is greenish dorsally and silvery ventrally, with three narrow black lines running from head to dorsal fin origin. Tip of lower jaw and upper lobe of caudal fin are yellowish red.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from New Brunswick to southern Florida, along the northern Gulf of Mexico to Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish, marine. pelagic-neritic.
Off Yucatan
Biology
Maximum known size is 179 mm SL
Found inshore, over sandy, vegetated areas (Ref. 27549). Schooling species (Ref. 27549). Feeds on algae and small organisms (Ref. 27549). Used as baitfish where abundant (Ref. 27549). Caught with dip nets (Ref. 27549).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2019-01-18. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters; until recently confused with Hy. unifasciatus
References
Gunter 1945
Hoese and Moore 1977
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Boschung 1992
Banford and Collette 1993
Murdy, E.O., R.S. Birdsong and J.A. Musick (1997) Fishes of Chesapeake Bay. Smithsonian Institution Press Washington and London. 324 p.
Vega-Cendejas, M.E., M.A. Peralta-Meixuiero and M. Hernández de Santillana (2017) Length-weight relations of fishes inhabiting a hyperhaline coastal lagoon in Yucatan, Mexico. Acta Ichthyol. Piscat. 47(4):411-415. DOI: 10.3750/AIEP/02239
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