Species: Hyporhamphus roberti, Slender Halfbeak

Hyporhamphus roberti (Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1847)

Slender Halfbeak

Elongate and slender; no teeth; lower jaw extended into a long beak, with fleshy tip; upper jaw short, triangular, covered with scales; nostrils in a pit before eye; well developed ridge just before eye; gill rakers usually >38; dorsal rays 14-16; anal rays 15-17, fin origin under dorsal fin origin; pectoral rays 11-12 (usually 11), fin relatively short, not reaching nostril when folded forward; tail fin concave; dorsal and anal fins without scales, or only a few present at front of fins.

Greenish on back, silvery white below; flank with grey stripe, bordered above by a black line; back with 3 black lines; lower jaw with red tip; tail clear, with dark border.

Size: reaches 21 cm.

Habitat: estuaries and river mouths.

Depth: 0-30 m.

SW Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil. Two subspecies recognized: H. r. hildebrandi from Belize to the Gulf of Urraba, Colombia; H. r. roberti from Lake Maracaibo (Venezuela) to Brazil.