Indo-West Pacific Halfbeaks (hemiramphidae) of The Genus Rhynchorhamphus with Descriptions of Two New Species

The genus Rhynchorhamphus Fowler, 1928 differs from other genera of Hemiramphidae in having a fimbriate nasal papilla, a large domed upper jaw the length of which is equal to or greater than the upper jaw width, many gill rakers (47-78 on the first arch and 40-68 on the second arch), and two dorsally-directed branches of the lateral line. Loligorhamphus Whitley, 1931, is placed in the synonymy of Rhynchorhamphus. Four species are recognized using characters such as the relative length and width of the upper jaw, numbers of gill rakers on the first and second gill arches, and numbers of fin rays in the dorsal and anal fins. R. georgii (Valenciennes, 1846) is the most widely distributed species, occurring from the Persian Gulf to the East Indies, Australia, New Guinea, the Philippine Islands, and the South China Sea. Six nominal species are placed in the synonymy of R. georgii: Hemiramphus russeli Valenciennes; He. leucopterus Valenciennes; He. eclancheri Valenciennes; He. plumatus Blyth; He. cantori Bleeker; and Loligorhamphus normani Whitley. R. georgii and R. arabicus Parin and Shcherbachev, 1972 are redescribed. Two new species are described: R. malabaricus from southern India and Ceylon and R. naga from the Gulf of Thailand and East Indies.