Family : Hemiramphidae (Halfbeaks) , subfamily: Hemiramphinae
Order : Beloniformes  (needle fishes)
Class : Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Fishbase Name : Blackbarred halfbeak
Fish Name : Hemiramphus far
Max size : 45.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 30573)
Environment : reef-associated; non-migratory
Climate : subtropical; 35°N - 25°S
Global Importance : fisheries: commercial; bait: occasionally
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)Distribution : Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Samoa, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to northern Australia and New Caledonia. Migrated to the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal.
Diagnosis : Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-14; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 10-12. Greatly prolonged, beak-like lower jaw; upper jaw short, triangular and without scales; preorbital ridge absent; total number of gill rakers on first gill arch 25-36; pectoral fins short, not reaching past nasal pit when folded forward; with 3-9 (usually 4-6) vertical bars on the sides. (Ref. 9843). Color bluish dorsally, silvery on sides. 36-41 predorsal scales. Lower lobe of caudal fin longer than upper lobe. Dorsal and anal fins located posteriorly.
Biology : Occur in coastal waters of high islands and continental shorelines; generally in areas rich in vegetation (Ref. 5213) and sand flats (Ref. 48635). Form schools. Adults feed mainly on sea grasses, to a lesser extent on green algae and diatoms (Ref. 9843). Breed in estuaries (Ref. 4164). Marketed fresh and dried salted (Ref. 5284, 9843); meat tasty (Ref. 637). Also caught with dragnets (Ref. 30573) and dipnets
Threatened : Dangerous:  
Dangerous : harmless
Coordinator : Collette, Bruce B.
Main Ref : Collette, B.B. and J. Su. 1986. (Ref. 10943)

India country information
Common Names : முரல், முரல் , Black-barred halfbeak, Mural
Status : native
Salinity : marine
Uses : no uses