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Dussumier's halfbeak

Hyporhamphus dussumieri

  • Fish
  • IUCN: Not evaluated
  • Usual depth0–5 m
  • Water temperature22–30 °C
  • Best monthsMay, July, and August
  • How commonOccasional
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About this species

The Dussumier's halfbeak, 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).

Text from the Wikipedia article “Dussumier's halfbeak”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

  • January: 15 records
  • February: 10 records
  • March: 9 records
  • April: 6 records
  • May: 37 records
  • June: 14 records
  • July: 28 records
  • August: 31 records
  • September: 15 records
  • October: 19 records
  • November: 15 records
  • December: 15 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 0–5 m · Deepest record: 23.5 m

  • 0–10 m: 141 records
  • 10–20 m: 1 records
  • 20–30 m: 3 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 22–30 °C

  • 20–22 °C: 1 records
  • 22–24 °C: 2 records
  • 24–26 °C: 17 records
  • 26–28 °C: 72 records
  • 28–30 °C: 176 records

Names and classification

English
Dussumier's halfbeak, Red Sea halfbeak
Names in 3 more languages
French
Demi-bec de Dussumier
Japanese
Marusayori, マルサヨリ
Simplified Chinese
刺針, 杜氏下鱵, 杜氏下鱵魚, 水針, 補網師, 針

Other scientific names: Hemiramphus dussumieri, Hemiramphus laticeps, Hemiramphus reynaldi, Hemirhamphus laticeps, Hyporhamphus dussumierii, Hyporhamphus laticeps, Hyporhamphus samoensis

Similar species

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).
  • 482 open-data records from 1846 to 2017.

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