Southern sea garfish (Hyporhamphus melanochir)

Scientific name: Hyporhamphus melanochir Valenciennes, 1847

Southern sea garfish (Hyporhamphus melanochir)

The Southern sea garfish (Hyporhamphus melanochir) is a brackish-water fish of the family Hemiramphidae. Native range: Eastern Indian Ocean, Endemic to Australian temperate waters (Murchison River, Kalbarri in Western Australia to Eden, New South Wales, including Tasmania).

Biology

Found inshore in surface waters of estuaries, bays, inlets and gulfs to a depth of about 20 m. In the South Australian gulfs, southern sea garfish may be found in deeper waters during the colder months. Generally herbivorous, seagrasses and algal filaments comprise about 75% of their food (Refs. 26551, 27013). Form schools, generally found near the surface at night and close to the bottom over seagrass beds during the day. Post-larvae or young fish less than 1-year-old live in estuaries from March to July then move to inshore marine waters, remaining there for up to 2 years.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Hyporhamphus melanochir
Family
Hemiramphidae (Halfbeaks)
Order
Beloniformes (Needle fishes)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
52.0
Depth range
0–20 m (0–66 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; pelagic-neritic; depth range 0 - 20 m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Eastern Indian Ocean: Endemic to Australian temperate waters (Murchison River, Kalbarri in Western Australia to Eden, New South Wales, including Tasmania).
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; bait: usually
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.51-0.77; tm=2-3; tmax=10)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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