Systematic position
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Order: Beloniformes (Needlefishes)
Suborder: Belonoidei (= Exocoetoidei)
Superfamily: Exocoetoidea
Family: Hemiramphidae (Halfbeaks)
Subfamily: Zenarchopterinae
Genus: Zenarchopterus
Species: Z. ectuntio
Synonyms
Esox ectuntio Hamilton, 1822
Hemiramphus amblyurus Bleeker, 1849
Hemiramphus borneensis Bleeker, 1851
Hemirhamphus amblyurus Bleeker, 1849
Zenarchopterus amblyurus (Bleeker, 1849)
Zenarchopterus borneensis (Bleeker, 1851)
Zenarchopterus hendersoni Fowler, 1919
Common/local names
English: Ectuntio halfbeak
Bangladesh: Ek Thuita (এক ঠুইটা) and Ek Thota (এক ঠোটা)
Distributions: Bangladesh (Rahman, 1989 and 2005); India (Hooghly river), Myanmar, Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Taiwan (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Conservation status: Data deficient in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Morphology: Body slender and slightly compressed, tapering at both ends. Triangular part of jaw nearly twice as long as broad, lower beak 3 times as long as the upper, teeth on jaws fine.
Dorsal fin originates slightly anterior to anal fin in posterior fourth of body. 3 anterior dorsal rays thickened in males. A few anterior rays of anal fin thickened and modified in males. Caudal rounded.
Head inclusive of beak 2.0-2.3 in standard, 2.5-2.7 in total length. Height 11.0 in total length. Length of beak 5.5 in total length (Rahman, 1989 and 2005).
Lateral line running in the lower profile. Scales large, cycloid, about 46-48 on lateral line (Rahman, 1989 and 2005). Greenish-brown with a narrow silvery lateral stripe. End of upper jaw milky white.
Fin formula:
D. 13-14; P1. 9; P2. 6; A. 10-12 (Rahman, 1989 and 2005)
D 13-14; A 10-12; P i 9; V i 5 (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991)
Maximum length: 15 cm (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Habitats: Inhibits freshwaters and enters estuaries (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). This fish is mainly riverine but also found in estuary mostly in Southern-Eastern districts of Bangladesh (Rahman, 1989 and 2005; IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Fishery info: Of no interest to fisheries (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
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REFERENCES
Bleeker P (1849) Bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van het eiland Madura, met beschrijving van eenige neiuwe soorten. Verhandelingen van het Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen. 22(8):1-16.
Bleeker P (1851) Over eenige nieuwe soorten van Pleuronectoïden van den Indischen Archipel. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië 1:401-416.
Hamilton F (1822) An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges and its branches. Edinburgh & London. An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges and its branches.: i-vii + 1-405, Pls. 1-39.
IUCN Bangladesh (2000) Red book of threatened fishes of Bangladesh, IUCN- The world conservation union. xii+116 pp.
Rahman AKA (1989) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 1st edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 59-60.
Rahman AKA (2005) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 2nd edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 74-75.
Talwar PK and Jhingran AG (1991) Inland Fishes of India and Adjacent Countries, Vol. 2, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi-Calcutta, pp. 737-738.
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