
Polynesian Halfbeak
Hemiramphus depauperatus
- Usual depth1 m
- Water temperature25–29 °C
- Best monthsJanuary, September, and December
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) cello caruso-turiello, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Hemiramphus depauperatus, commonly known as the Polynesian halfbeak is a species of fish, belonging to the family Hemiramphidae found in the Pacific Ocean. The species was first misidentified as Hemiramphus eclancheri by Alvin Seale in 1906, further identified by Henry Weed Fowler to be considered Hemiramphus brasiliensis. It has since been corrected to Hemiramphus depauperatus.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Hemiramphus depauperatus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 7 records
- February: 3 records
- March: 3 records
- April: 2 records
- May: 1 records
- June: 0 records
- July: 0 records
- August: 4 records
- September: 5 records
- October: 3 records
- November: 1 records
- December: 7 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1 m · Deepest record: 1 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 25–29 °C
Photos

(c) Justin Johnsen, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Polynesian Halfbeak, Tropical Halfbeak
Names in 1 more languages
- French
- Demi-bec polynésien
Other scientific names: Hemirhamphus depauperatus
Similar species
Black-barred halfbeakHemiramphus far
Lutke's halbeakHemiramphus lutkei
- Jumping halfbeak
Hemiramphus archipelagicus
- Halfbeak
Hemiramphus convexus
- barred halfbeak
Hemiramphus marginatus
- flatsided garfish
Hemiramphus robustus
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 37 open-data records from 1902 to 2009.
- Species data updated November 3, 2026.
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