Hemiramphus is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of schooling marine fish commonly called halfbeaks, garfish, or ballyhoos

Ballyhoo

The ballyhoo or bally, Hemiramphus brasiliensis, is a baitfish of the halfbeak family . It is similar to the Balao halfbeak . Ballyhoo are frequently used as cut bait and for trolling purposes by saltwater sportsmen.Ballyhoo can also be seen above the waters skimming the surface to escape from...

, and are members of the family  Hemiramphidae

Halfbeak

The halfbeaks are a geographically widespread and numerically abundant family of epipelagic fish inhabiting warm waters around the world. The family Hemiramphidae is divided into two subfamilies, the primarily marine Hemiramphinae and the freshwater or estuarine Zenarchopterinae...

. They inhabit the surface of warm temperate and tropical sea

Sea

A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...

, and feed on algae

Algae

Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...

, plankton

Plankton

Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...

, and smaller fish. Hemiramphus species are edible but are more important as food fish for larger predatory species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 including dolphinfish and billfish

Billfish

The term billfish is applied to a number of different large, predatory fish characterised by their large size and their long, sword-like bill. Billfish include the sailfish and marlin, which make up the family Istiophoridae, and the swordfish, sole member of the family Xiphiidae...

.

Species

• Hemiramphus archipelagicus - Jumping halfbeak
• Hemiramphus bermudensis - Bermuda halfbeak
• Hemiramphus brasiliensis - Ballyhoo
  Ballyhoo
  The ballyhoo or bally, Hemiramphus brasiliensis, is a baitfish of the halfbeak family . It is similar to the Balao halfbeak . Ballyhoo are frequently used as cut bait and for trolling purposes by saltwater sportsmen.Ballyhoo can also be seen above the waters skimming the surface to escape from...
  
  
• Hemiramphus balao - Balao halfbeak
  Balao halfbeak
  The Balao halfbeak, Hemiramphus balao, is an ocean-going species of fish in the family Hemiramphidae. It was first described by the French naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur in 1821.-Description:...
  
  
• Hemiramphus convexus
  
• Hemiramphus depauperatus - Tropical half-beak fish
• Hemiramphus far - Blackbarred halfbeak
• Hemiramphus lutkei - Lutke's halfbeak
• Hemiramphus marginatus - Yellowtip halfbeak
• Hemiramphus robustus - Three-by-two garpike
• Hemiramphus saltator - Longfin halfbeak