Rhynchorhamphus georgii (Valenciennes, 1847)
Long billed half beak
Bugiw,  Long billed half beak,  Ban-ban,  Baritos,  Buging,  Bugiw,  Buguing,  Burog,  Kansusuwit,  Malamban,  Sa-sa,  Siriw,  Suasid,  Susay,  Swasid
Rhynchorhamphus georgii
photo by Randall, J.E.

Family:  Hemiramphidae (Halfbeaks)
Max. size:  31 cm (male/unsexed)
Environment:  pelagic-neritic; freshwater; brackish; marine; depth range - 0 m
Distribution:  Indo-West Pacific: the most widespread of the four species of Rhynchorhamphus, found from Persian Gulf through Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal through the Western Central Pacific north to Taiwan and Hong Kong and east to New Guinea and northern Australia.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-17; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 13-16; Vertebrae: 54-59. Very strongly pronounced domed upper jaw which is the longest and most arched of the four species of Rhynchorhamphus.
Biology:  Found in inshore waters (Ref. 75154). Enters freshwaters (Ref 13446).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 10 August 2020 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:  Limited supply (Ref. 2858). Reported from Lake Taal (Ref. 13446). Occasionally enters freshwaters. Reported from Laguna de Bay. Museum specimens collected in 1983 from east bay, LRS-83121. The white flaky flesh has a good flavor when boiled, baked, or fried (Ref. 13460).


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.