Species: Hyporhamphus meeki, False Silverstripe Halfbeak, Meek's Halfbeak

Hyporhamphus meeki Banford & Collette, 1993

False Silverstripe Halfbeak, Meek's Halfbeak

Elongate and slender; no teeth; lower jaw extended into a long beak; upper jaw short, triangular, covered with scales, distance from tip of top jaw to eye >70% of eye diameter; nostrils in a pit before eye; well developed ridge just before eye; gill rakers 33-39 (31-40); dorsal rays 14-15 (12-17); anal rays 14-17 (15-17); anal fin origin under dorsal fin origin; pectoral rays 10-13 (usually 11-12), fins relatively short, not reaching nostril when folded forward; tail fin concave; dorsal and anal fins covered with scales.

Greenish on back, silvery white below; 3 distinct narrow black lines along back from head to dorsal fin; beak with fleshy red tip; tail pale, with dark border.

Size: reaches 22 cm.

Habitat: surface inshore and estuarine waters.

Depth: 0-30 m.

Masachusetts to the Yucatan.