Short-beaked garfish

Short-beaked garfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Beloniformes
Family:	Belonidae
Genus:	Belone
Species:	B. svetovidovi
Binomial name
Belone svetovidovi Collette & Parin, 1970
Synonyms
Belone belone (non Linnaeus, 1761)

The Short-beaked garfish (Belone svetovidovi) is an uncommon species of needlefish in marine waters of the Eastern Atlantic ocean. It is a pelagic needlefish that is present in Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. It is possible Belone svetovidovi is thriving in the Mediterranean Sea as well. This species was thought to be the same as the Garfish (Belone belone) because they share the same waters. Belone svetovidovi matures at 30 cm (12 in) and can grow to a maximum of 65 cm (26 in) while Belone belone can be 95 cm (38 in). Like all needlefish, this one has an elongated body with beak-like jaws that are lined with razor sharp teeth. The Short-beaked garfishs' lower jaw is longer than the upper. Its body is silvery like most needlefish and has a black stripe running across its lateral line. The dorsal and anal fins are very close to the caudal peduncle. These fish are Oviparous. Eggs may be found attached to objects in the water by tendrils on the egg's surface. They are spherical eggs that are dispersed on the sea floor (demersal). There is not much known about this fish's feeding habits, or anything about this fish for that matter. It is likely it preys on small ocean going fish. It has been caught using mackerel before. Needlefish tend to be towards the surface so fish such as Atlantic Mackerel, European pilchard, Sand smelt etc. would be preyed on. The Short-beaked garfish is likely distributed in these countries: Algeria, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

References

• Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). "Belone svetovidovi" in FishBase. September 2012 version.