Fish of the Hemiramphus genus of the Hemiramphidae (halfbeak) family of the Exocoetoidea superfamily of the Belonoidei suborder of the Beloniformes order of the Acanthopterygii superorder.
(Black-barred halfbeak. Photo by © Otakar Seycek. fishbase.org)
Black-barred halfbeak (Hemiramphus far) was first described by the Swedish naturalist and traveler Pehr Forsskål (1732-1763), the name of the species was appropriated after his death in 1775.
It prefers to swim at the depths of up to 6 meters. It is a schooling fish preferring to swim near the rocky reefs and islands surrounded by rich aquatic vegetation. The maximum recorded length is 45 cm; specimens up to 30 cm long are more common. It feeds on plants and algae.
(Black-barred halfbeak. Photo by © John E. Randall. fishbase.org)
It got into the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. It was found a couple of times in the southern part of the Adriatic.
Names of black-barred halfbeak (Hemiramphus far) in other languages are as follows:
Μισόραμφος (Misoramfos) (Greek), Saltón (Spanish), Mezzobecco (Italian), Gefleckter Halbschnäbler (German), Półdziobiec far (Polish), Agulha peixe pica (Potuguese), Polukljuna iglica (Serbian, Croatian), Ibikli balığı (Turkish), Demi-bec à taches noires (French).