Southern Garfish, Hyporhamphus melanochir (Valenciennes 1847)
Other Names: Black-finned Half-beak, Dusky Garfish, Dusky Sea Garfish, Gardie, Garfish, Pencils, Sea Garfish, Sea Gar-fish, South Australian Garfish, Southern Sea Garfish, Western Sea Garfish
Southern Garfish, Hyporhamphus melanochir. Source: Rudie H. Kuiter / Aquatic Photographics. License: All rights reserved
Summary:
A common pale greenish garfish with a broad silvery stripe along the midside, a white belly, a reddish tip on the lower jaw, and a broad dusky margin on the caudal fin.
The Southern Garfish is a popular foodfish.
Video of Southern Garfish feeding in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria.
The Southern Garfish is a popular foodfish.
Video of Southern Garfish feeding in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2023, Hyporhamphus melanochir in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4492
Southern Garfish, Hyporhamphus melanochir (Valenciennes 1847)
More Info
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Distribution |
Eden, New South Wales (and possibly further north), to at least Perth, Western Australia. Pelagic near eel-grass beds in estuaries, rivers and coastal lakes. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin 15-18; Anal fin 17-20; Caudal fin 15; Pectoral fin 11-13; Pelvic fin 6; Lateral line scales 52-57; Gill rakers (1st arch) 27-35 (2nd arch) 22-29. Body very long and slender; lower jaw long slender, bill-like, upper jaw short; dorsal and anal fins short-based near the tail; lower lobe of tail fin longer than the upper. |
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Feeding |
Feeds on invertebrates and plant matter in nearshore surface waters. Adults consume seagrass leaves during the day, and feed on planktonic crustaceans at night, along with insects taken from the surface of the water. |
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Remarks |
Collette (1974) considered this species to occur in southern Australia, distinct from the closely related Hyporhamphus australis, with both overlapping at Eden, New South Wales. Collette also reportedly found hybrids from Eden. |
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Etymology |
The specific name melanochir is from the Greek melano (= black) and cheiros (= hand), in reference to the black pigment on the pectoral fin of this species. |
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Species Citation |
Hemiramphus melanochir Valenciennes 1847, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons 19: 41. Type locality: Western Port, Victoria (as Port Western, New Holland). |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2023 |
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Resources |
Southern Garfish, Hyporhamphus melanochir (Valenciennes 1847)
References
Allan, R. 2002. Australian Fish and How to Catch Them. Sydney : New Holland Publishers (Australia) 394 pp.
Coleman, N. 1980. Australian Sea Fishes South of 30ºS. Lane Cove, NSW : Doubleday Australia Pty Ltd 309 pp.
Collette, B.B. 1974. The garfishes (Hemiramphidae) of Australia and New Zealand. Records of the Australian Museum 29(2): 11-105 figs 1-23
Gomon, M.F. 1994. Families Exocoetidae, Hemiramphidae, Scomberesocidae. pp. 383-393 figs 343-351 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs.
Gomon, M.F. 2008. Family Hemiramphidae. pp. 406-407 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.
Grant, E.M. 1965. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Department of Primary Industries 280 pp.. (as Hemiramphus australis)
Günther, A. 1866. Catalogue of the Fishes of the British Museum. Catalogue of the Physostomi, containing the families Salmonidae, Percopsidae, Galaxidae, Mormyridae, Gymnarchidae, Esocidae, Umbridae, Scombresocidae, Cyprinodontidae, in the collection of the British Museum. London : British Museum Vol. 6 368 pp. (as Hemiramphus intermedius)
Hall, D.N. & MacDonald, C.M. 1986. Commercial fishery situation report: net and line fisheries of Port Phillip Bay Victoria, 1914-1984. Victoria Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands, Fisheries Division, Marine Fisheries Report 10: 121 pp.
Hoschke, A., Whisson, G. & Moore, G.I. 2019. Complete list of fishes from Rottnest Island. pp. 150-161 in Whisson, G. & Hoschke, A. (eds). The Rottnest Island fish book. 2nd ed. Perth, Western Australia : Aqua Marine and Monitoring Services.
Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp.
Hutchins, J.B. & Thompson, M. 1983. The Marine and Estuarine Fishes of South-western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 103 pp. 345 figs.
Jones, G.K. 1990. Growth and mortality in a lightly fished population of garfish (Hyporhamphus melanochir), in Baird Bay, South Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 114: 37-45.
Jones, G.K., Baker, J.L., Edyvane, K. & Wright, G.J. 1996. Nearshore fish community of the Port River-Barker Inlet Estuary, South Australia. I. Effect of thermal effluent on the fish community structure, and distribution and growth of economically important fish species. Marine and Freshwater Research 47: 785-800
Jones, G.K., Ye, Q., Ayvazian, S. & Coutin, P. (eds). 2002. Fisheries biology and habitat ecology of southern sea garfish (Hyporhamphus melanochir) in southern Australian waters. FRDC Project 97/133. (Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and South Australian Research and Development Institute, SARDI) Link to ref online (https://www.frdc.com.au/sites/default/files/products/1997-133-DLD.pdf)
Kailola, P.J., Williams, M.J., Stewart, P.C., Reichelt, R.E., McNee, A. & Grieve, C. 1993. Australian Fisheries Resources. Canberra : Bureau of Resource Sciences and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation 422 pp.
Klumpp, D.W. & Nichols, P.D. 1983. Nutrition of the southern sea garfish Hyporhamphus melanochir: gut passage rate and daily consumption of two food types and assimilation of seagrass components. Marine Ecology Progress Series 12: 207-216.
Klunzinger, C.B. 1872. Zur Fische-fauna von Süd Australien. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 38(1): 17-47 pl. 2 (as Hemirhamphus intermedius)
Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp.
Ling, J.K. 1958. The sea garfish, Reporhamphus melanochir (Cuvier and Valenciennes) (Hemiramphidae), in South Australia: breeding, age determination, and growth rate. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 9: 60–110.
May, J.L. & Maxwell, J.G.H. 1986. Field Guide to Trawl Fish from Temperate Waters of Australia. Hobart : CSIRO Division of Marine Research 492 pp.
McCoy, F. (ed.) 1887. Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria Decade 14. Melbourne : George Robertson. (as Hemiramphus intermedius) See ref at BHL
Neira, F.J., Miskiewicz, A.G. & Trnski, T. 1998. Larvae of temperate Australian fishes: laboratory guide for larval fish identification. Nedlands, Western Australia : University of Western Australia Press, 474 pp.
Noell, C.J. 2003. Larval development of the southern sea garfish (Hyporhamphus melanochir) and the river garfish (H. regularis) (Beloniformes: Hemiramphidae) from South Australian waters. Fishery Bulletin 101(2): 368-376. See ref online
Noell, C.J. 2005. Early life stages of the Southern Sea Garfish, Hyporhamphus melanochir (Valenciennes, 1846), and their association with seagrass beds. PhD thesis, University of Adelaide, http://hdl.handle.net/2440/57972
Noell, C.J., Donnellan, S., Foster, R. & Haigh, L. 2001. Molecular discrimination of Garfish Hyporhamphus (Beloniformes) larvae in southern Australian waters. Marine Biotechnology 3: 509–514
Riley, I.J., DiBattista, J.D., Stewart, J., Schilling, H.T. & Suthers, I.M. 2023. Using integrative taxonomy to differentiate cryptic halfbeak species and interpret distribution patterns, fisheries landings, and speciation. Marine and Freshwater Research 74(2): 125-133. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF22048
Trnski, T., Leis, J.M. & Carson-Ewart, B.M. 2000. Hemiramphidae. pp. 154-158 in Leis, J.M. & Carson-Ewart, B.M. 2000. The larvae of Indo-Pacific coastal fishes. An identification guide to marine fish larvae. Fauna Malesiana Handbooks Leiden : Brill Vol. 2 870 pp.
Valenciennes, A. in Cuvier, G.L. & Valenciennes, A. 1847. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : Levrault Vol. 19 544 pp. pls 554-590. See ref at BHL
Whitley, G.P. 1931. New names for Australian fishes. The Australian Zoologist 6(4): 310-334 1 fig. pls 25-27 (as Reporhamphus melanochir)
