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Needlefish (
family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Belonidae) or long toms are
piscivorous A piscivore () is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. The name ''piscivore'' is derived . Piscivore is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophage, both of which mean "fish eater". Fish were the diet of early tetrapod evoluti ...
fishes Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
primarily associated with very shallow marine habitats or the surface of the open sea. Some genera include species found in marine,
brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...
, and freshwater environments (e.g., ''
Strongylura ''Strongylura'' is a genus of needlefishes from the family Belonidae which is distributed throughout the tropical and warmer temperate waters of the world, including some species which live in freshwater. Species Currently, there are 14 recogniz ...
''), while a few genera are confined to freshwater rivers and streams, including '' Belonion'', ''
Potamorrhaphis ''Potamorrhaphis'' is a genus of freshwater needlefishes native to South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern ...
'', and ''
Xenentodon ''Xenentodon'' is a genus of needlefishes native to Asia. It is one of ten genera in the family Belonidae. Species There are currently two recognized species in this genus: *''Xenentodon cancila'' ( F. Hamilton, 1822) (Freshwater Garfish) *''Xe ...
''. Needlefish closely resemble North American freshwater
gar Gars are members of the family Lepisosteidae, which are the only surviving members of the Ginglymodi, an ancient holosteian group of ray-finned fish, which first appeared during the Triassic, over 240 million years ago. Gars comprise seven livin ...
s (family
Lepisosteidae Gars are members of the family Lepisosteidae, which are the only surviving members of the Ginglymodi, an ancient holosteian group of ray-finned fish, which first appeared during the Triassic, over 240 million years ago. Gars comprise seven livin ...
) in being elongated and having long, narrow jaws filled with sharp teeth, and some species of needlefishes are referred to as gars or garfish despite being only distantly related to the true gars. In fact, the name "
garfish The garfish (''Belone belone''), also known as the garpike or sea needle, is a pelagic, oceanodromous needlefish found in brackish and marine waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Black, and Baltic Seas. Description Th ...
" was originally used for the needlefish ''
Belone belone The garfish (''Belone belone''), also known as the garpike or sea needle, is a pelagic, oceanodromous needlefish found in brackish and marine waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Black, and Baltic Seas. Description Th ...
'' in Europe and only later applied to the North American fishes by European settlers during the 18th century.


Description

Needlefish are slender, ranging from in length. They have a single
dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...
, placed far back on the body, almost opposite to the
anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...
. Their most distinctive feature is their long, narrow beak, which bears multiple sharp teeth. In most species, the upper jaw reaches its full length only in adults, so the juveniles have a half-beak appearance, with an elongated lower jaw, but a much smaller upper one. During this stage of their lifecycle, they eat
plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...
, switching to fish once the beak fully develops. Needlefish reproduce through mating and laying eggs. The male usually rides the female on the waves as they mate. Needlefish are most common in the subtropics, but some inhabit temperate waters, as well, particularly during the winter. ''Belone belone'', a common North Atlantic species, often swim in schools alongside
tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: ...
. Recently, some small specimens have been seen in the Mediterranean Sea.


Ecology

All needlefish feed primarily on smaller fish. In addition, some species also take
krill Krill are small crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea, and are found in all the world's oceans. The name "krill" comes from the Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in n ...
, swimming
crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...
s, small
cephalopod A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head ...
s and insects. Needlefish have been documented in taking advantage of
Snell's Window Snell's window (also called Snell's circle or optical man-hole) is a phenomenon by which an underwater viewer sees everything above the surface through a cone of light of width of about 96 degrees. This phenomenon is caused by refraction of light ...
when attacking prey; leaping at a shallow angle to ambush schools of small fish. Due to
light refraction In physics, refraction is the redirection of a wave as it passes from one medium to another. The redirection can be caused by the wave's change in speed or by a change in the medium. Refraction of light is the most commonly observed phenomeno ...
through water, objects at the edges of the window appear distorted, disrupting the image of the leaping needlefish and allowing it to get within very short distances of its prey.


Danger to humans

Needlefish, like all ray-finned beloniforms, are capable of making short jumps out of the water at up to . Since needlefish swim near the surface, they often leap over the decks of shallow boats rather than going around. This jumping activity is greatly excited by
artificial light Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing dayligh ...
at night; night fisherman and divers in areas across the Pacific Ocean have been "attacked" by schools of suddenly excited needlefish diving across the water towards the light source at high speed. Their sharp beaks are capable of inflicting deep
puncture wound Penetrating trauma is an open wound injury that occurs when an object pierces the skin and enters a tissue of the body, creating a deep but relatively narrow entry wound. In contrast, a blunt or ''non-penetrating'' trauma may have some deep dama ...
s, often breaking off inside the victim in the process. For many traditional
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
communities, who primarily fish on
reefs A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...
from low boats, needlefish represent an even greater risk of injury than sharks. Occasional deaths and serious injuries have been attributed to needlefish. In 1977, a 10-year-old Hawaiian boy, night fishing with his father at
Hanamaulu Hanamāulu (literally, "tired bay" in Hawaiian) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. It is the ancient birthplace of Kawelo, a member of Kauai's ruling family. The population was 4,994 at the 2020 census, ...
Bay,
Kaua'i Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...
, was killed when a needlefish jumped from the water and pierced his eye and brain. In 2007, a 16-year-old
Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...
boy was stabbed through the heart by the beak of a needlefish while diving for
sea cucumber Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea (). They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. The number of holothuria ...
s at night near
Halong Bay Halong may refer to: * Ha Long, also known as Hong Gai, the capital city of Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam * Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam * Halong naval base, an Indonesian Navy (previously Dutch) ...
. In 2010, a kayaker in Florida was nearly killed when a crocodile needlefish (
houndfish The houndfish (''Tylosurus crocodilus'') is a game fish of the family (biology), family Belonidae. It is the largest member of its family, growing up to in length and in weight. It is also often called the crocodile needlefish. Description Whi ...
, ''Tylosurus crocodilus'') leapt from the water and impaled her in the chest. In 2012, German
kitesurfer Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...
Wolfram Reiners Wolfram may refer to: * Wolfram (name) * Wolfram, an alternative name for the chemical element tungsten * Wolfram Research, a software company known for the symbolic computation program Mathematica ** Wolfram Language, the programming language use ...
was seriously wounded in the foot by a needlefish near the Seychelles. In May 2013, a kitesurfer in
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
's
Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...
was speared directly under his knee when a needlefish jumped out of the water. In October 2013, a Saudi Arabian news website also reported the death of a young Saudi man in
Dammam Dammam ( ar, الدمّام ') is the fifth-most populous city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina. It is the capital of the Eastern Province. With a total population of 1,252,523 as of 2020. The judicial and administrative ...
who died of hemorrhaging after being hit by a needlefish on the left side of the neck. In 2014, a Russian tourist was nearly killed by a needlefish off
Nha Trang Nha Trang ( or ; ) is a coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa Province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the north by Ninh Hòa District, Ninh Hoà town, on the south by Cam Ranh city and on the west by Diên Khánh Distri ...
in Vietnam. The fish bit her neck and left pieces of its teeth inside her spinal cord, paralyzing her. In early January 2016, a 39-year-old Indonesian woman from
Palu Palu, which is officially known as the City of Palu (Indonesian: ''Kota Palu''), is the capital and largest city of Central Sulawesi. Palu is located on the northwestern coast of Sulawesi and borders Donggala Regency to the north and west, Pari ...
,
Central Sulawesi Central Sulawesi (Indonesian: ''Sulawesi Tengah'') is a province of Indonesia located at the centre of the island of Sulawesi. The administrative capital and largest city is located in Palu. The 2010 census recorded a population of 2,635,009 for ...
, was seriously injured when a half-metre-long needlefish jumped and pierced her just above the right eye. She was swimming in water 80 cm deep in
Tanjung Karang Tanjong Karang is a mukim in Kuala Selangor District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is loosely translated into English as the "Cape of Corals". Tanjong Karang town is divided by the Sungai Tengi at the middle but connected with a bridge. The local C ...
, a popular recreational spot in the
Donggala Regency Donggala Regency is a regency in the Central Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. It lies between 0° 30" north and 2°20" south latitude, and between 119° 45°" and 121° 45" east longitude, and covers a land area of 5,275.69 km2. It had a popula ...
, Central Sulawesi. She died a few hours later despite efforts to save her at a local hospital. Shortly after, pictures of her injury spread through instant-messaging applications, while several local news websites also reported the incident, some erroneously attributing the attack to a
marlin Marlins are fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes about 10 species. A marlin has an elongated body, a spear-like snout or bill, and a long, rigid dorsal fin which extends forward to form a crest. Its common name is thought to deri ...
. In December 2018, a needlefish was responsible for the death of a Thai Navy
special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
cadet.


In the aquarium

Some species of needlefish inhabit
brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...
and freshwater environments, and one of the freshwater species, ''
Xenentodon cancila ''Xenentodon cancila'', the freshwater garfish, is a species of needlefish found in freshwater and brackish habitats in South and Southeast Asia. Common names As a reasonably popular aquarium fish, ''Xenentodon cancila'' has been traded under a ...
'' from Southeast Asia, is occasionally kept as an aquarium fish. It is a relatively small species, no more than 40 cm in length when fully grown, but is considered to be a rather delicate fish best suited to advanced aquarists.Monks N: Straight to the point: the Beloniformes. Practical Fishkeeping, October 2005


Taxonomy

The needlefish family is classified within the order
Beloniformes Beloniformes is an order composed of six families (and about 264 species) of freshwater and marine ray-finned fish: * Adrianichthyidae (ricefish and medakas) * Belonidae (needlefish) * Exocoetidae (flyingfishes) * Hemiramphidae (halfbeaks) ...
and along with the
sauries Sauries are fish of the family Scomberesocidae. There are two genera, each containing two species. The name Scomberesocidae is derived from the ''scomber'', which in turn is derived from the Greek ''skombros'', meaning "mackerel", and the Latin ...
of the family
Scomberesocidae Sauries are fish of the family Scomberesocidae. There are two genera, each containing two species. The name Scomberesocidae is derived from the ''scomber'', which in turn is derived from the Greek ''skombros'', meaning "mackerel", and the Latin ...
they make up the
superfamily SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP superfamilies. Domains are functional, str ...
Scomberesocoidea Scomberesocoidea is a superfamily within the suborder Exocoetoidei of the order Beloniformes. It consists of two families which are commonly known as the needlefishes and the sauries. Classification The two families within the suborder Scomb ...
and in turn, is one of two superfamilies in the
suborder Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and ...
Exocoetoidei Exocoetoidei is a suborder of the order Beloniformes, which is sometimes known as the Belonoidei. It contains two superfamilies and five families. Classification Exocoetoidei is classified as follows: * Suborder Exocoetoidei ** Superfamily ...
which comprises all of the Beloniformes except for the
ricefish The ricefishes are a family (Adrianichthyidae) of small ray-finned fish that are found in fresh and brackish waters from India to Japan and out into the Malay Archipelago, most notably Sulawesi (where the Lake Poso and Lore Lindu species are kn ...
es of the family Adrianichthydae. Workers have concluded that the
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Belone ''Belone'' is a genus of needlefish common in brackish and marine waters. It is one of ten genera in the family Belonidae. Species Three recognised species are in this genus: * ''Belone belone'' (Linnaeus, 1761) (garfish) * ''Belone euxini'' G ...
'' is the sister group to the sauries and that if this is correct them the Belonidae is only
monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...
if the sauries are included within it.


References


External links


Annotated Checklist of Fishes: Belonidae

FishBase entry on Belonidae

World Sea Fishing article on the North Atlantic gar, ''Belone belone''.
(link is broken) {{Taxonbar, from=Q1079148 Belonidae Fish of Hawaii Beloniformes Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte