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Hemiramphidae is a family of fishes that are commonly called halfbeaks, spipe fish or spipefish. They are a geographically widespread and numerically abundant family of epipelagic fish inhabiting warm waters around the world. The halfbeaks are named for their distinctive jaws, in which the lower jaws are significantly longer than the upper jaws. The similar viviparous halfbeaks (family Zenarchopteridae) have often been included in this family. Though not commercially important themselves, these forage fish support artisanal fisheries and local markets worldwide. They are also fed upon by other commercially important predatory fishes, such as billfishes, mackerels, and sharks. In 1758, Carl Linnaeus was the first to scientifically describe a halfbeak, Esox brasiliensis (now Hemiramphus brasiliensis). In 1775 Peter Forsskål described two more species as Esox, Esox far and Esox marginatus. It was not until 1816 that Georges Cuvier created the genus Hemiramphus; from then on, all three were classified as Hemiramphus. In 1859, Gill erected Hemiramphidae, deriving its name from Hemiramphus, the family's type genus. The name comes from the Greek hemi, meaning half, and rhamphos, meaning beak or bill. There are currently eight genera within the family Hemirampphidae: Arrhamphus Günther, 1866 Chriodorus Goode & Bean, 1882 Euleptorhamphus Gill, 1859 Hemiramphus Cuvier, 1816 Hyporhamphus Gill, 1859 Melapedalion Fowler, 1934 Oxyporhamphus Gill, 1864 Rhynchorhamphus Fowler, 1928 This family is primarily marine and found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, though some inhabit estuaries and rivers. The halfbeaks' fossil record extends into the Lower Tertiary. The earliest known halfbeak is “Hemiramphus” edwardsi from the Eocene at Monte Bolca, Italy. Apart from differences in the length of the upper and lower jaws, recent and fossil halfbeaks are distinguished by the fusion of the third pair of upper pharyngeal bones into a plate. The phylogeny of the halfbeaks is in a state of flux.

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