Dussumier's halfbeak - Hyporhamphus dussumieri
The Dussumier’s halfbeak (Hyporhamphus dussumieri), also known as the slender garfish, lives in reefs and shallow lagoons. It is an Indo-Pacific species which is found from the Seychelles east to the Tuamotu islands, north to Hong Kong and Okinawa and south to northern Australia. They form schools which are found near the surface of lagoons and seaward reefs. The longest known specimen was 38.0 cm in length. This species was described by Achille Valenciennes in 1847 with the type locality given as the Seychelles. The specific name honours the French voyager and merchant Jean-Jacques Dussumier (1792-1883). pesce mezzobecco
Hyporhamphus is a genus of marine and freshwater bony fishes belonging to the Hemiramphidae family. This genus lives in all tropical and subtropical seas. Several species have eurialian character and some live exclusively in fresh water. Two species live in the south-eastern Mediterranean Sea: Hyporhamphus affinis and Hyporhamphus picarti, the first of Lessepsian origin, that is, it arrived in the Mediterranean from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal; the second is of uncertain origin, it is probably a relict species of the warm phases of the Tertiary. Marine species typically live in coastal waters very close to the coast, often near sandy beaches.
They live immediately below the surface of the water and many species form schools. The size is medium-small: the majority of species measure around 20 cm or less, Hyporhamphus sajori reaches 40 cm and is the largest species. The lower jaw is elongated like those of the common garfish while the upper jaw is of normal length and triangular in shape. The body is slender, with a straight and parallel belly and back, the dorsal fin and anal fin set back, placed just before the caudal peduncle. The caudal fin has the most developed lower lobe. The color is generally silvery. They feed on zooplankton, small fish and floating material including insects that have fallen into the water. Some species have a certain importance for fishing.
(extract from Wikipedia)
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