Macroramphosus

{{Short description|Genus of fishes}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Macroramphosus gracilis NOAA.jpg | image_caption ='' Macroramphosus gracilis'' | taxon = Macroramphosus | display_parents = 4 | authority = Lacepède, 1803 | type_species = ''Silurus cornutus'' | type_species_authority = Forsskål, 1775 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text }}

'''''Macroramphosus''''', '''snipefishes''' or '''bellowfishes''', is a genus of fishes found in tropical and subtropical oceans at depths down to {{convert|600|m|ft}}. They have long second spines on their dorsal fins and tiny mouths at the tip of their greatly elongated snouts. The bodies of snipefish are more streamlined than in the related bellowfishes. They reach a maximum length of about {{convert|20|cm|in|abbr=on}}, and are silvery or reddish in colour. They are sometimes found in large schools. This is the only genus on the monogeneric family Macroranphosidae<ref name="Nelson5">{{cite web |author1=Nelson, JS |author2=Grande, TC |author3=Wilson, MVH |name-list-style=amp |year=2016 |title=Classification of fishes from Fishes of the World 5th Edition |url=https://81a86d48-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/fotw5th/home/FotW5Classification.pdf?attachauth=ANoY7crnPmFXqnJpmRlpzLSdqx8GmsCmFXNBj8fAYuPuhFBvCfHo4TahH7eM_yruTzHI27nZRRWWJPRR7U9HopPBRlQK8iW_73EG6FVke6aUjl20fgZXiChDnl-xqMl4L2I-wHwV7D4qcPAQI1vSV6YfFYAm5qb7t5w0rJ_ierkZ91ezIvpQ_5f0kSbFiUx-YYGXP1US1GbwSf-G7sRx4XEikm73VqVA0idVnlkaFjzI53bkuIQY0OQ%3D&attredirects=0 |accessdate=10 June 2018 |archive-date=20 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120135002/https://81a86d48-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/fotw5th/home/FotW5Classification.pdf?attachauth=ANoY7crIfB6q0amFyPzpVw0HNKYpziyjiVSv52zf5VgSIrevDuVCDf0Ot9atbJNEMBm8Ufsi0yeE3VQhEvhNf1FSa2N967AptcN3CZJ907ptO-uYBVkWdPPRwo2mSe6I9gw1z8evk-bCqUF0pT_FcIAXBJI2aDSmzPCbmlu1aUOlm5dqf-2bG00OGc5PMxC7sZql1Bfz-_3pUYASCWoAkJ48dYFaVVrYDBYgi8NliIZfsthrsX-NmVQ=&attredirects=1 |url-status=dead }}</ref> but some authorities include the genera ''Centriscops'' and ''Notopogon'' in this family too.<ref name = FoA>{{cite web | title = Bellowfishes, MACRORAMPHOSIDAE |work = Fishes of Australia | publisher = Museums Victoria | accessdate = 12 June 2018 | url = http://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/family/125}}</ref>

According to FishBase, they are part of the family Centriscidae, but Nelson (2016) split that family, in which case the genus ''Macroramphosus'' is in the family Macroramphosidae.<ref name="Nelson5" /> However, ''Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes'' has returned to classifying the macroramphosids within the Centriscidae.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=Fricke |first=R. |last2=Eschmeyer |first2=W. N. |last3=Van der Laan |first3=R. |date=2025 |title=ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION |url=https://www.calacademy.org/eschmeyers-catalog-of-fishes-classification |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=California Academy of Sciences |language=en}}</ref>

==Species== Currently, three recognized species are placed in this genus:<ref name="CofFF2">{{Cof genus|genus=Macroramphosus|access-date=22 July 2025}}</ref> * ''Macroramphosus gracilis'' (R. T. Lowe, 1839) (slender snipefish) * ''Macroramphosus sagifue'' Jordan & Starks, 1902 * ''Macroramphosus scolopax'' (Linnaeus, 1758) (longspine snipefish)

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Centriscidae Category:Marine fish genera Category:Taxa named by Bernard Germain de Lacépède