Flat needlefish
| Flat needlefish | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Beloniformes |
| Family: | Belonidae |
| Genus: | Ablennes D. S. Jordan & Fordice, 1887 |
| Species: | A. hians |
| Binomial name | |
| Ablennes hians Valenciennes, 1846 | |
| Synonyms | |
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The flat needlefish (Ablennes hians), or barred longtom, the only known member of the genus Ablennes, is a marine fish of the family Belonidae. Flat needlefish are considered gamefish, frequently caught with the help of artificial lights, but are not often eaten because of their green-colored flesh.
The generic name Ablennes – formerly misspelled Athlennes – means ‘without mucosity’, from the ancient Greek privative a- prefix and blennos (‘mucus’). Its specific name hians is Latin for "gaping".