balao
Hemiramphus balao Lesueur, 1821
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Halfbeak (Hemiramphus balao)
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Open encyclopedia reference
The balao halfbeak (Hemiramphus balao), occasionally called the balao for short, is an ocean-going species of fish in the family Hemiramphidae. It was first described by French naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur in 1821. They are used as cut bait and for trolling purposes by saltwater sportsmen.
Wikipedia contributors, Balao halfbeak; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:21:41.694791+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hemiramphus balao Lesueur, 1821
- Name authority
- Lesueur, 1821
- Common name
- balao
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Beloniformes
- Family
- Hemiramphidae
- Genus
- Hemiramphus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderBeloniformes
- familyHemiramphidae Gill, 1859
- genusHemiramphus Cuvier, 1816
- speciesHemiramphus balao Lesueur, 1821
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Hemiramphus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Hemiramphus convexus Weber & de Beaufort, 1922 | HemiramphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| black-barred halfbeakHemiramphus far (Forsskål, 1775) | HemiramphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hemiramphus marginatus (Forsskål, 1775) | HemiramphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| ballyhooHemiramphus brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758) | HemiramphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hemiramphus archipelagicus Collette & Parin, 1978 | HemiramphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bermuda halfbeakHemiramphus bermudensis Collette, 1962 | HemiramphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hemiramphus depauperatus Lay & Bennett, 1839 | HemiramphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lutke's halbeakHemiramphus lutkei Valenciennes, 1847 | HemiramphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hemiramphus robustus Günther, 1866 | HemiramphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| longfin halfbeakHemiramphus saltator Gilbert & Starks, 1904 | HemiramphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Hemiramphus guineensis Bleeker, 1863 Bleeker, 1863 | synonym |
| Hemiramphus pleii Valenciennes, 1847 Valenciennes, 1847 | synonym |
| Hemiramphus vittatus Valenciennes, 1843 Valenciennes, 1843 | synonym |
| Hemirhamphus macrochirus Poey, 1860 Poey, 1860 | synonym |
| Hemirhamphus balao Lesueur, 1821 Lesueur, 1821 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Lesueur, C. A. (1821). Observations on several genera and species of fish, belonging to the natural family of the Esoces. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, v. 2 (pt 1): 124–138, 2 pls. [pp. 124–128 (Oct.), pp. 129–138 (Nov.)]. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3KS72. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.