United States (contiguous states) country information

Common names: Balao, Ballyhoo, Halfbeak
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: bait: yes;
Comments: Important bait fishery in Dade and Monroe, southern Florida (Ref. 3723); Reported from Chesapeake Bay (Ref. 27549, 93252). Occurrence in Chesapeake Bay: rare summertime visitors to the lower Chesapeake Bay (Ref. 93252).
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
National Fisheries Authority: http://www.nmfs.gov
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Demi-bec brésilien, Agujeta brasileña, Halfbeak, ... more

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Beloniformes (Needle fishes) > Hemiramphidae (Halfbeaks)
Etymology: Hemiramphus: Greek, hemi = half + Greek, rhamphos = bill, peak (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Linnaeus.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 5 m (Ref. 3723), usually 0 - 2 m (Ref. 40849). Subtropical; 43°N - 13°S

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Western Atlantic: Massachusetts, USA and northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil, including the Caribbean Sea (Ref. 3723); absent in Bermuda. Eastern Atlantic: Cape Verde and Dakar, Senegal to Luanda, Angola (Ref. 4497).

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m 19.3 range ? - ? cm
Max length : 55.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2683); common length : 35.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3633); max. published weight: 200.00 g (Ref. 5217)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal soft rays (total): 13 - 14; Anal soft rays: 12 - 13. No ridge between nostril and eye (Ref. 26938).

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).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Collette, Bruce B. | Collaborators

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. (Ref. 7251)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 21 August 2012

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Reports of ciguatera poisoning (Ref. 30911)

Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; bait: usually

FAO(Fisheries: production; publication : search) | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
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Ecology
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Visual pigment(s)
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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 20.5 - 28.1, mean 27.3 (based on 858 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5005 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00380 (0.00278 - 0.00520), b=3.08 (3.02 - 3.14), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 2.3 ±0.1 se; based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.58 questionable; assuming tmax>3).

Prior r = 0.46, 95% CL = 0.31 - 0.69, Based on 1 data-limited stock assessment.

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (27 of 100).

Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649): High to very high vulnerability (75 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Medium.

Hemiramphus brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758)