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BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
attained a length of about 40 millimeters, and that the lower outstrips the upper at first, so that 
fry of 100 to 150 millimeters look more like halfbeaks (Hemiramphus stage) than like their own 
parents.” (Bigelow and Welsh, 1925, p. 166.) 
The skipper attains a length of 18 inches, the usual size being 12 to 16 inches. 
Habitat . — Temperate parts of the Atlantic Ocean, on both the European and American coasts; 
Mediterranean Sea; New Zealand. On the western Atlantic coast, ranging from Nova Scotia to 
Beaufort, N. C.; rare south of Cape Cod. 
Chesapeake localities. — (a) Previous records: Entrance of Chesapeake Bay (Uhler and Lugger, 
1876). (5) Specimens in collection: None. 
Family XXXV.-HEMIRAMPHID/E. The balaos (halfbeaks) 
Body elongate, more or less compressed; upper jaw short; lower jaw various (much produced 
in the specimens included in the present work, the “beak” projecting beyond the upper jaw, being 
nearly or quite equal to the length of the rest of the head) ; lateral line placed low on side; scales in 
regular rows, cycloid; dorsal and anal fins small, placed posteriorly; caudal fin rounded or forked, if 
forked the lower lobe is the larger. This is a family of rather small, surface-swimming, warm-water 
shore fishes. A single species is common in Chesapeake Bay, where it has no commercial value. 
KEY TO THE GENERA 
a. Air bladder simple, not divided into compartments; sides of body not quite vertical, more or less 
convex; dorsal and anal fins opposite each other, the last ray of dorsal not produced; ventral 
fins placed about equidistant from gill opening and base of caudal Hyporhamphus, p. 152 
aa. Air bladder divided into compartments, cellular; sides of body vertical; dorsal fin beginning in 
advance of anal, its last ray somewhat produced; ventral fins placed much nearer base of 
caudal than gill opening Hemiramphus, p. 153 
51. Genus HYPORHAMPHUS Gill. Halfbeaks 
Body long and slender; sides not quite vertical and usually more or less convex; lower jaw 
much produced, the produced portion never much shorter than the rest of head; air bladder simple, 
not divided into compartments; dorsal and anal fins similar and opposite each other, the last ray of 
dorsal not produced; ventral fins inserted about equidistant from gill opening and base of caudal. 
69. Hyporhamphus unifasciatus (Ranzani). Halfbeak; “Skipjack.” 
Hemirhamphus unifasciatus Ranzani, Novi. Comment. Ac. Sci. Bonon, V, 1840, 326; Brazil. Lugger, 1877, p. 83. 
Hemirhamphus roberti Uhler and Lugger, 1876, ed. I, p. 143; ed. II, p. 122; Bean, 1891, p. 92. 
Hyporhamphus roberti Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 721, PI. CXVII, fig. 312. 
Head 9 4.1 to 4.8; depth 6 to 10; D. 13 to 15; A. 15 to 17. Body long, compressed, becoming 
deeper with age; head low, somewhat depressed above, the sides nearly straight; mandible much 
produced, except in very young (10 millimeters), developed in somewhat older specimens (25 milli- 
meters), proportionately shorter in large examples than in smaller ones, its length from tip of upper 
jaw equal to rest of head in specimens about 150 millimeters in length; snout 2.5 to 4 in head; eye 
3.2 to 4.8; interorbital space 4 to 4.5; teeth in the jaws in villiform bands; gill rakers rather short 
and blunt, 23 to 26 on the lower limb of the anterior arch; scales rather firm, cycloid; dorsal and 
anal similar, placed opposite each other, each scaled at base; caudal forked, the lower lobe much 
the longer; ventral fins small, inserted nearer base of caudal than eye; pectoral fins rather short, 
l. 25 to 2 in head. 
Color largely silvery, with more or less greenish above; sides with a plumbeous band; middle 
of back with three dark lines; upper surface of head and mandible dark, the latter with a red tip 
in life; fins mostly plain translucent. 
This species is represented by numerous specimens ranging from very small (larvae) to 290 
millimeters (llj^ inches, without mandible) in length. This halfbeak is common in Chesapeake 
Bay but it is of no commercial importance. 
8 Head and Lody are measured from tip of upper jaw. 
