New Zealand piper

The New Zealand piper (Hyporhamphus ihi) is a halfbeak found all around New Zealand in shallow inshore waters.^[2]

Information

The length of the New Zealand Piper as an unsexed male is between 25 and 35 cm.^[3] The New Zealand Piper is known to be found in a marine environment within a pelagic-neritic depth range. This species is native to a temperate climate. The maximum recorded length of the unsexed male is about 26 centimeters or about 10.23 inches. The common recorded length of this species is about 22 centimeters or about 8.66 inches. They are usually identified by their upper jaw that is usually longer than wide and their lower jaw that is usually longer than head length. It is more recognizable for larger sizes of this species. The distribution of this species includes the areas of Southwest Pacific, New Zealand, and the Chatham Islands. This species is known to occupy the inshore waters. They tend to join together in schools. This species tends to spawn during midsummer. The diet of the New Zealand Piper includes larger zooplankton, mysids, crab larvae, and polychaete larvae.^[4] The appearance of this species is known to be very long and slender. They are widely distributed by New Zealand waters, but it is uncommon and rare to spot this species.^[5] Their diet also includes eelgrass, seaweed, and small crustaceans. They can sense vibrations caused by their prey by the sensitive lateral line in their long lower jaws.^[6]

Classification

The taxonomic classification of the Hyporhamphus ihi is as follows:

• Kingdom : Animalia
• Phylum : Chordata
• Subphylum : Vertebrata
• Superclass : Gnathostomata
• Euteleostomi : bony vertebrates
• Order : Beloniformes
• Family : Hemiramphidae
• Genus : Hyporhamphus
• Species : Hyporhamphus ihi^[7]

Bibliography

• Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8

References