Ablennes hians

• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
• More Info
• Notes

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Family Belonidae

Distribution: Marine and freshwater . Tropical and temperate waters . Diagnostic Features: Elongate fishes with both upper and lower jaws extended into long beaks filled with sharp teeth (except in neotenic Belonion); nostrils in a pit anterior to eyes. No spines in fins ; dorsal and anal fins posterior in position; pectoral fins short. Dorsal fin with 11-43 rays ; anal fin with 12-39 rays, pelvic fins, with 6 soft rays , are located in an abdominal position; and pectoral fins with 5-15 rays. Lateral line running down from pectoral fin origin and then along ventral margin of body. Scales small, cycloid, easily detached. Precaudal vertebrae 33-65, caudal vertebrae 19-41 and total vertebrae 52-97. Colour : These fishes live at the surface and are protectively colored for this mode of life by being green or blue on the back and silvery white on the lower sides and belly. Usually, a dusky or dark blue stripe along sides; fleshy tip of lower jaw frequently red or orange. Some fresh water needlefishes reach only 6 or 7 cm in total length while some marine species may attain 2 m. Composition of Family : The Belonidae contains 10 genera and 34 species. Four genera are monotypic: the southern African Petalichthys, the worldwide Ablennes and Platybelone, and apparently the Asian freshwater Xenetodon. The eastern Atlantic Belone contains two species. Tylosurus contains six species of strictly marine species. Three genera are restricted to freshwaters of South America: Belonion (two species), Potamorrhaphis (three), and Pseudotylosurus (two). The most speciose genus, Strongylura, contains 14 species, mostly marine, some estuarine , and three strictly freshwater, two of which are found in Central and South America, S. fluviatilis from Ecuador and Colombia and S. hubbsi from Mexico and Guatemala. Five species are considered polytypic , containing a total of 17 subspecies . Habitat and Biology : Most species are marine, but some occur in freshwaters. Carnivorous , feeding largely on small fishes which they catch sideways in their beaks. Needlefishes tend to leap and skitter at the surface and some people have been injured when accidentally struck by them, particularly at night when the fishes are attracted by lights. Interest to Fisheries: Caught by casting or trolling surface or near-surface lures and in floating gill nets . Flesh excellent in flavor although some people have misgivings about eating it due to the presence of many small bones and the green color of the bones.The family Belonidae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and the Order Beloniformes. It contains 10 genera and 34 species. It may be found in Marine, Brackish , and Freshwater environments and is primarily Marine. Some members of this family are used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are nonguarders. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is carangiform . Members of this family have been dated back to the middle Oligocene epoch of the Tertiary period. This family may be found from 65° n to 40° s and 122° w to 154° e. Etymology of this family name : Greek, belone = needle

Physical Description

Habitat

Inhabits neritic and oceanic waters but more often found near islands (Ref. 5213). Found in estuaries (Ref. 26340), and coastal rivers (Ref. 33587). Sometimes forming large schools (Ref. 5217).

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 867 meters (0 to 2,844 feet).Mean = -712.840 meters (-2,338.714 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,545.410 based on 171 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Biome: Brackish water, saltwater . Reef-associated .

Biology

Diet

Feeds mainly on small fishes (Ref. 9279).

Reproduction

Oviparous (Ref. 205). In females, only left gonad is developed, and in males the right gonad is small or absent (Ref. 26938). Eggs may be found attached to objects in the water by filaments on the egg's surface (Ref. 205).

Migration

Oceanodromous .

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Ablenes hians (Valenciennes, 1846)
2. Ablennes hians (Valenciennes, 1846)
3. Ablennes pacificus Walford, 1936
4. Athlennes hians (Valenciennes, 1846)
5. Belone hians Valenciennes, 1846
6. Belone maculata Poey, 1860
7. Belone melanostigma Valenciennes, 1846
8. Belone schismatorhynchus Bleeker, 1850
9. Mastaccembelus melanostigma (Valenciennes, 1846)
10. Mastacembelus fasciatus Bleeker, 1873
11. Tylosurus caeruleofasciatus Stead, 1908
12. Tylosurus hians (Valenciennes, 1846)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Group expert : Collette B .B., Data last modified by FishBase 20-Jan-1998

Similar Species

Members of the genus Ablennes

There are approximately 1 species in this genus:

A. hians (Banded Longtom)

Bibliography

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Notes

Contributors

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• FishBase 2006.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 15, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 43 providers.
• MBLWHOI Library: Universal Biological Index and Organizer. uBio.org accessed July 18, 2008.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 15, 2007:

• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
• Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Museum of Nature Fish Collection
• FishBase, FishBase DiGIR Provider - Philippine Server
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, Bishop Museum Data
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, CSIRO Marine Data Warehouse
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, ECNASAP - East Coast North America Strategic Assessment
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, Marine and Coastal Management - Linefish Dataset
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, NODC WOD01 Plankton Database
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity - Fish Collection
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, iziko South African Museum - Fish Collection
• Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Vertebrate specimens
• Museum national d'histoire naturelle, Ichtyologie
• Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, MCZ Fish Collection
• OZCAM
• Provider, Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums
• Royal Ontario Museum, Fish specimens
• University of Kansas Biodiversity Research Center, Fish Collection

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3855101
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Fis-22975
• Fishbase Species ID: 972
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13544032
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 165548
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 101035

Footnotes

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