Author: Linnaeus, 1761

Belone belone Linnaeus, 1761

Diagnosis: vomerine teeth usually present in larger specimens but frequently absent in specimens less than 20 cm BL (28 cm SL). Jaw teeth comparatively large and widely spaced (6-15 in a distance equal to an orbit's length on middle of upper jaw). Dorsal finrays 16-20; anal finrays 19-23; pectoral finrays 11-14. Gillrakers 27-40 on first arch. Vertebrae 75-84. Morphometrically similar to B. svetovidovi but has a heavier and less compressed body and wider inter-orbital width. Size: to 62 cm BL, which equals about 90 cm SL.

Habitat: epipelagic, neritic. Food: small fishes, particularly clupeids and Engraulis (in the Black Sea). Reproduction: spawns in coastal waters from May to June in the British Isles, February—May in Algeria, April-September in Black Sea; eggs attached to vegetation and floating objects by sticky threads. Commercial importance: exploited in the Black Sea and Mediterranean.

Distribution: restricted to north-eastern Atlantic. Occurs from Trondheim (Norway) (occasional strays as far north as White Sea, Murman coast, and southern Iceland), southwards to Madeira and the Canaries, also in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

Subspecies

Belone belone belone (Linnaeus, 1761): greatest number of vertebrae (79-84, x 82.4); dorsal finrays (16-20, x 18.1); attains the largest size (up to 90 cm SL). Occurs from France northwards.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. Ehrenbaum, 1905-1909, 1905: 134-136, fig. 61; 1936: 73, fig. 49 | Raffaele, 1895: 127 | Marinaro, 1971: 22, pl. 111, fig. 5-6.
Otoliths (sagitta). Fryd, 1901: 25 | Frost, 1926: 471, pl. 20 (fig. 22).

Belone belone gracilis Lowe, 1839: moderate number of vertebrae (76-83, x 80.3) in southern north-east Atlantic, and (76-81, x 78.4) in the Mediterranean); dorsal finrays (16-19 x 17.5); size medium (up to about 70 cm SL). Occurs south of France and in the Mediterranean.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. D'Ancona, 1931d: 157-160, pl. 8 (fig. 1-8), pl. 9 (fig. 1-9).
Otoliths (sagitta). Sanz Echeverría, 1926: 148, fig. 4 | Bauzá-Rullán, 1957: 39, pl. 2 (fig. 25-29).

Belone belone euxini Günther, 1866: fewest vertebrae (75-80, x 78.0); dorsal finrays (17-20, x 18.0); the smallest size (up to 56 cm SL). Occurs in Black and Azov seas.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. Vodjanitzki & Kazanova, 1954: 305, fig. 47 | Avedikova, 1954: 47-67, fig. 1-5.
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Osteichthyes
Order Beloniformes
Suborder Scomberesocoidei
Family Belonidae
Genus Belone
Species Belone belone

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Belone belone (Linnaeus, 1761)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Belone belone Linnaeus, 1761

Synonyms:

Esox Belone Linnaeus, 1761, Fauna Svecica: 126 (European Seas) (nec Esox Bellone Linnaeus, 1758).l
Belone belone: Svetovidov, 1955a: 343-345 Collette & Parin 1970: 11-12, fig. 1-2 (subspecies recognized).

Subspecies:

Belone belone belone Linnaeus, 1761
Esox belone Linnaeus, 1761, Fauna Svecica: 126 (European Seas).
Belone vulgaris Fleming, 1828, Hist. Brit. anim.: 184 (Great Britain).
Belone rostrata Faber, 1829, Naturgesch. Fische Islands: 152 (Iceland).
Hemiramphus europaeus Yarrell, 1837, Mag. nat. Hist., 1: 507 (Suffolk, Great Britain).
Ramphistoma vulgaris: Swainson, 1838-1839, 1839, 2: 297.
Hemiramphus balticus Hohnbaum-Hornschuh, 1843, in Hohnbaum-Hornschuch & van der Hoeven, 1843, Tijdschr. Nat. Gesch. Physiol., 10: 299 (Kiel, Germany).
Hemiramphus Behnii van der Hoeven, 1843, in Hohnbaum-Hornschuh & van der Hoeven, loc. cit.: 300 (Kiel, Germany).
Belone vulgaris: Valenciennes, 1828-1849, 1846, in Cuv. Val., 18: 399 Moreau, 1881-1891, 1881: 470-472 Day, 1883: 147-150, pl. 127 (fig. 1).
Belone ll-radiata Budge, 1848, Arch. Anat. Pllysiol. Wiss. Med.: 384 (probably North Sea).
Hemiramphus obtusus Couch, 1848, Zoologist, 6: 1978 (Cornwall, Great Britain).
Belone linnei Malm, 1877, Goeteb. Bohusl. fauna: 533 (Kattegat, Skagerrak).
Ramphistoma belone: Fries et al., 1893-1895, 1893: 347-352, fig. 92, pl. 23.
Belone belone: d'Ancona, 1930a, in Joubin, ed. 1929-1938: pl. 142 (partim) Fowler, 1936: 439-440, fig. 217 (partim) Poll, 1947: 174-175, fig. 117-119 Andriashev, 1954: 134-135, fig. 64.
Belone acus (non Lacepède): Nybelin, 1942, in Andersson, ed.: 208, pl. 62 Saemundsson, 1949: 89-90.
Belone belone belone: Svetovidov, 1955a: 344 Collette & Parin, 1970: 21.
Belone bellone: Duncker & Ladiges, 1960: 170-172, fig. 56 Mees, 1962: 17-19 (partim) Wheeler, 1969: 236-237, fig.

Belone belone gracilis (Lowe, 1839)
Belone gracilis Lowe, 1839, Proc. zool. Soc. Lond., 7: 86 (Madeira).
Belone acus (non Lacepède): Risso, 1826, Hist. nat. Eur. mérid.: 443 (Mediterranean Sea).
Belone cornidii Günther, 1866, Cat. Fishes, 6: 255 (coast of Portugal). Holotype: BMNH, unreg.
Belone acus: Moreau, 1881: 472-473.
Belone belone (non Linnaeus): d'Ancona, 1930, in Joubin, ed., 1929-1938: pl. 142 (fig.) (partim) Fowler, 1936: 439-440 (partim) Lozano Rey, 1947: 600-602, pl. 12 (fig. 2) Soljan, 1948: 386 Dieuzeide et al., 1953-1955, 1954: 136-137, fig. Dollfus, 1955: 41, 119 Tortonese, 1958: 320.
Belone belone acus: Svetovidov, 1955: 345 (partim) Tortonese, 1967: 43 (partim).
Belone bellone: Mees, 1962: 17-19 (partim).
Belone belone gracilis: Collette & Parin, 1970: 21.

Belone belone euxini Günther, 1866
Belone euxini Günther, 1866, Cat. Fishes, 6: 252 (Black Sea). Holotype: BMNH, unreg.
Belone acus euxini: Popov, 1930b: 40.
Belone belone euxini: Drensky, 1951: 134-135, fig. 85 Svetovidov, 1955: 344-345; 1964: 153-157, fig. 42 Tortonese, 1967c: 43, fig. 1 Collette & Parin, 1970: 21.
Belone bellone: Mees, 1962: 17-19 (partim).
Belone bellone euxini: Banarescu, 1964: 562-565, fig. 240.

Common names:

aguglia[It]
aguja [Es]
agulha [Pr]
aigiulle[Fr]
belona [Pl]
garfish [En]
geep [Ne]
håbbgadda [Sv]
hornfisk [Da]
hornfiskur [Is]
horngjel [No]
Hornhecht [De]
iglica [Hr]
imsella [Mlt]
khirm [Eg]
misella [Ar]
morska bekasa [Bu]
nokkakala [Su]
orphie [Fr]
sargan [Ru]
zargana [He]
zargana [Tu]
zargani [Ro]

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Andriashev, A. P. 1954. Ryby severnykh morei SSSR. Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR. Moskwa-Leningrad. (English trans. 1964, Jerusalem, IPST, 617 p., 300 fig.)

Avedikova, T. M. 1954. On the development of Black Sea garfish Belone belone euxini Günther. Uchen. Zap. rostov. Gos. Univ., 57 (1): 47-67, 5 fig.

Banarescu, P. 1964. Pisces. Osteichthyes. Fauna Repub. pop. rom., Bucuresti, 13: 1-962, 402 fig.

Bauzá-Rullán, J. 1957. Nueva contribución al estudio de los otolitos de peces actuales y fossiles de España. Mem. comm. Inst. geol. prov. Barcelona, 16: 33-34, 5 tab.

Budge, J. 1848. Ichthyologische Bemerkungen. Arch. Anat. Physiol, 1848: 383-387.

Collette, B. B.; Parin, N. V. 1970. Needlefishes (Belonidae) of the Lastern Atlantic Ocean. Atlantide Rep., (11): 7-60, 13 fig.

Collette, B. B.; Parin, N. V. 1970. Needlefishes (Belonidae) of the Lastern Atlantic Ocean. Atlantide Rep., (11): 7-60, 13 fig.

Couch, R. Q. 1848. Notes on the fishes of the district of the Land's End (concluded). Zoologist, 6: 1972-1980.

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