Hemiramphidae Gill 1859

Angulo, Arturo, Betts, Joel T., González-Alemán, Néstor J., Castañeda, Edgar, Berghe, Eric Van Den, Elías, Diego J., Mcmahan, Caleb D. & Matamoros, Wilfredo A., 2023, Continental fishes of Nicaragua: diversity, distribution and conservation status; with an annotated and illustrated checklist of species and an identification guide to families, Zootaxa 5376 (1), pp. 1-89 : 65

Family Hemiramphidae Gill 1859 ( Fig. 4J ). Halfbeaks; Saltadores, Agujetas, Medio Picos

Description: Body slender; up to 40 cm in length; lower jaw extends into a long beak; upper jaw much shorter than lower with the premaxillae pointed anteriorly giving it a triangular shape; lateral line low on the sides of body; pectoral fins high on sides, variable in length; pelvic fins under rear of abdomen; caudal fin usually forked or concave ( Robertson & Allen 2015, Nelson et al. 2016). Distribution: Marine, rarely freshwater; Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans (Nelson et al. 2016). One genus and two species in Nicaraguan freshwaters.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Families of continental fishes of Nicaragua, part 3; Achiridae (A), Carangidae (B), Cichlidae (C), Pomacentridae (D), Atherinopsidae (E), Rivulidae (F), Poeciliidae (G), Anablepidae (H), Belonidae (I), Hemiramphidae (J), Mugilidae (K), Gobiesocidae (L), Dactyloscopidae (M) and Lutjanidae (N). Illustrations adapted (with permission) from Nelson et al. (2016) and Angulo et al. (2021).