The ballyhoo halfbeak, ballyhoo, balahu, redtailed balao or yellowtail ballyhoo (''Hemiramphus brasiliensis'') is a

baitfish 300px, Feeder Goldfish are common baitfish. Bait fish (or baitfish) are small-sized fish caught and used by anglers as bait to attract larger predatory fish, particularly game fish. Baitfish species are typically those that are common and bre ...

of the

halfbeak Hemiramphidae is a family (biology), family of fishes that are commonly called halfbeaks, spipe fish or spipefish. They are a geographically widespread and numerically abundant family of epipelagic fish inhabiting warm waters around the world. ...

family (

Hemiramphidae Hemiramphidae is a family of fishes that are commonly called halfbeaks, spipe fish or spipefish. They are a geographically widespread and numerically abundant family of epipelagic fish inhabiting warm waters around the world. The halfbeaks are ...

). It is similar to the

Balao halfbeak The Balao halfbeak (''Hemiramphus balao''), occasionally called the Balao for short, is an ocean-going species of fish in the family Hemiramphidae. It was first described by the French naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur in 1821. They are used a ...

(''H. balao'') in most features. Some are used for

trolling In slang, a troll is a person who posts deliberately offensive or provocative messages online (such as in social media, a newsgroup, a internet forum, forum, a chat room, an Multiplayer video game, online video game) or who performs similar be ...

by saltwater anglers.McBride, Richard S., Lisa Foushee, and Behzad Mahmoudi. 1996. Florida's Halfbeak, "Hemiramphus" spp., Bait Fisher

''Marine Fisheries Review''. 58(1-2): 29–38.McBride, Richard S.. 2001. Landings, value, and fishing effort for halfbeaks, "Hemiramphus" spp., in the South Florida Lampara Net Fisher

''Proceedings of the 52nd Gulf Caribbean Fisheries Institute''. 52: 103–115. Some have caused

ciguatera poisoning Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), also known as ciguatera, is a foodborne illness caused by eating tropical reef fish contaminated with ciguatoxins. Such individual fish are said to be ciguatoxic. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, numbness, ...

in humans.

Description

The body shows typical halfbeak shape with an elongated lower jaw and cylindrical elongated body. They have no

spine Spine or spinal may refer to: Science Biology * Spinal column, also known as the backbone * Dendritic spine, a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite * Thorns, spines, and prickles, needle-like structures in plants * Spine (zoology), ...

s on

fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. F ...

s, but do have 13–14 rays of their

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...

s and 12–13 rays on their

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

s. The longest recorded Jumping halfbeak was 55 cm long, but most do not exceed 35 cm. There is no ridge between nostril and eye. It feeds mainly on sea grasses and small fish.

Distribution and habitat

Ballyhoo are distributed in tropical-warm temperate latitudes on both sides of the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

. In Florida, they inhabit shallow bank areas or grassflats associated with coral reefs.McBride, Richard S., and Justin R. Styer. 2002. Species Composition, Catch Rates, and Size Structure of Fishes Captured in the South Florida Lampara Net Fisher
http://spo.nwr.noaa.gov/mfr641/mfr6413.pdf.
''Marine Fisheries Review''. 64(1): 21–27.McBride, Richard S., Justin R. Styer, and Rob Hudson. 2003

Spawning cycles and habitats for ballyhoo (''Hemiramphus brasiliensis'') and balao (''H. balao'') in south Florida ''Fishery Bulletin'' 101:583–589. Hemiramphus brasiliensis 63969255

References

McBride, Richard S., and Paul E. Thurman. 2003. Reproductive Biology of ''Hemiramphus brasiliensis'' and ''H. balao'' (Hemiramphidae): Maturation, Spawning Frequency, and Fecundity. Biol. Bull. 204: 57–67
Temporal Dynamics of Reproduction in ''Hemiramphus brasiliensis'' (Osteichthyes: Hemiramphidae)

External links

* Hemiramphus, Ballyhoo Fish of the Atlantic Ocean Fish described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Beloniformes-stub